


A Little More Trust

by CreatorOfUniverses, PL1



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 62,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29500602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreatorOfUniverses/pseuds/CreatorOfUniverses, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PL1/pseuds/PL1
Summary: For a viri little more than six inches tall, living on a college campus comes with many risks; despite that, Colfax never expected to be caught. But when Sawyer, a college student, discovers Colfax in a supply closet, the two of them wind up entangled in one adventure after another. Not just them, either- by some stroke of fate, their two best friends (Charlie and Adrian) find themselves in similar circumstances. Being caught by a human might be every viri's worst nightmare, but Colfax and Adrian find that Sawyer and Charlie aren't the worst humans who could have found them.Those humans are just waiting in the wings, biding their time...
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3
Collections: The Trust Multiverse





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Per a reader's request, we've decided to crosspost the main Trust stories here on AO3, rather than simply posting them on deviantArt. You can still find all the Trust stories, as well as the Reader's Guide, over on dA. I'm going to transfer all the original descriptions to these chapters as well, for posterity's sake. Happy reading!

Control. To Colfax, it was a precious commodity. Control over his environment, control over his resources, control over every single pattern of his life. He often told himself that in many cases, being in control of his situation was more important than anything else. It tended to make him a cold, calculating person, and the solitary life of a viri suited him to a T.

Colfax heard the signs of the second wave of morning classes getting out. That meant that the halls of the university building would soon be filling with college students. He sighed and glanced at the door of the supply closet. He'd restocked his bag with new safety pins, some string, and some cotton. He stood up and walked to the edge of the shelf, where his grappling line fashioned out of a large safety pin and some twine was still hooked into the plastic.

No one ever came into the supply closet during the day, but it was _always_ better to be safe than sorry. Colfax quickly made his way to the floor, ready to hide beneath the lowest level of the plastic shelving until the stampede outside was over. It was a perfect hiding place; the janitor even regularly left several bottles of cleaning supplies on the floor next to the shelf, creating even more cover for Colfax to use to his advantage. He flicked the twine to free the safety pin, and began to loop it up idly while he waited. They'd be out there no longer than ten minutes, like clockwork.

As always, Colfax was determined to have a completely ordinary day, and so far things were going exactly as they should.

Class ended, and the bustle of students shrugging on coats and backpacks quickly filled the large classroom. Sawyer leaned back in his seat and stifled a yawn, sighing tiredly before sliding his laptop back into his backpack and shuffling out of the small desk. He slung his backpack across one shoulder unhurriedly, in stark contrast to the multitude of students rushing out of the room to get to another class or, better yet, to get some food. Sawyer, however, walked up to the desk at the front of the room, where the professor was busy packing her things into a messenger bag. “Uh, Dr. K?” he said, shifting his feet as he stood in front of her.

She looked up, eyes somewhat distracted before focusing on him. “Oh, yes?” she asked, straightening up. “Sawyer, isn’t it?”

He gave her a grin. “Yes ma’am,” he said, the southern drawl of a Texan slipping its way through the phrase. He dug in his pocket and withdrew a hastily folded, and rather crumpled, set of papers stapled together. “I just wanted to talk to you about this paper I-” His sentence dropped off sharply as, in trying to hand her the paper, he accidentally knocked over a glass she had set on the desk, spilling the beverage all over. Sawyer swore as the professor grabbed her bag quickly off the table, slinging it over her shoulder before it could come to any more danger. “Sorry,” Sawyer hastily apologized, looking down at the mess and wincing. “I’ll clean that up. There any paper towels around here?”

“There’s a supply closet next door,” the professor informed him, pointing to the room on the other side of the wall. “There should be some in there.” She made her way to the door as well, saying, “I’m sorry Sawyer, but I have another class to teach in a couple of minutes. Just… clean up this mess and email me about your paper. We’ll talk next time, okay?” With that she was gone.

In the closet, Colfax waited patiently. He could feel the tremors in the floor of the many students hurrying past, heading to their next destination. Some viri would scoff at him for living so near this many humans; but if there was one thing Colfax could count on, it was that college-aged humans each lived in their own personal worlds. Going unnoticed was easy when they were so busy trying not to get in each other's way.

He was about to venture out from underneath the shelf towards the vent in the back wall when he heard it- the sound of lazier steps, not so concerned with rushing. He ducked back under the shelf, waiting behind a spray bottle of glass cleaner. Colfax's dark eyes narrowed when he heard a sound that definitely did _not_ fit in with how he planned this supply run to go. The handle of the door turned with a metallic click, and in seconds Colfax was no longer the room's only occupant.

The viri practically held his breath, staying very still in his hiding place. This was a scenario he was prepared for; it was why he always got out of sight during class breaks. But still, it was outside of the routine, so he couldn't stop himself from being frustrated with whatever student had wandered in. _Wrong turn. The classroom is next door._ He could only see the human's shoes from where he hid, but he watched them with unwavering focus, hoping to see them turn and leave the room behind once more so he could go about the rest of his day.

Sawyer stepped into the small supply closet and fumbled for the light switch, turning it on after a few moments. A small ceiling lamp illuminated the space and he let the door shut behind him, muffling the sounds of all the students in the hallway. Glancing around, he spotted a roll of paper towels on the top shelf of a unit next to him. He stepped up to the shelves and reached for them, but in doing so accidentally kicked some of the cleaning supplies on the floor. One of the bottles toppled over and began leaking, spilling out under the shelf. Swearing quietly, Sawyer grabbed the paper towels and knelt down, wrinkling his nose at the sharp smell of bleach. “I just can’t stop making messes today, can I?” he muttered to himself, tipping the container right side up again.

Colfax silently backed up further when the gigantic shoes moved toward his hiding place. He thought his bad luck would end there, but his eyes widened when the bottle of cleaner was knocked over. The strong, chemical smell of bleach slammed into him like a physical wave, and Colfax stumbled away, covering his mouth and nose in the crook of his elbow. Those fumes would be toxic to a human, and he knew without a doubt that they would be even worse for someone his size.

There was little to no air circulation underneath the shelf. He didn't want to pass out under there, and Colfax's eyes were beginning to water. He stumbled towards the edge of the shelf, thinking that maybe the human would be distracted enough by the task of cleaning up. These conditions were _not_ ideal, but it was a choice between _maybe_ exposing himself and _definitely_ poisoning himself.

Colfax ran out from under the shelf, barely two feet away from the towering human. He thought he might have a chance when his lungs chose that moment to shudder and he coughed. He stood rooted to the spot, slowly turning his gaze to look up at the human crouched so near. His usually stoic face showed nothing but surprise.

Sawyer was about to clean up the small puddle of spilled cleaning solution when he heard a small cough, effectively stopping him in confusion. He hadn’t coughed, he knew; and it had come from the floor next to him. Straightening up he looked down and around for the source of the noise, his eyes immediately widening as he spotted the tiny figure not two feet away from him. It… it looked like a doll, or a large action figure maybe, but he knew it hadn’t been there before. Not to mention the fact that it was standing and _looking_ at him, really looking, with tiny dark eyes as wide with surprise as Sawyer’s were.

Ditching the paper towel, and still trying to process just what exactly might be going on, Sawyer reached a tentative hand towards it. He didn’t exactly know what to expect from this action- reason told him that the little figure would do absolutely nothing, not being alive. Instinct, however, nagged that reason had suddenly decided to take the day off.

Colfax's instinct kicked back into high gear. His gaze dropped to the hand that was now approaching, and he stiffened. _No._ Logic told him that he was too close to the human to be able to escape it now. Humans were faster and much stronger. It would make little sense to waste energy trying to evade the inevitable.

Logic was quickly crowded out by all of the alarm bells in his head. Colfax turned on the spot and bolted, taking his eyes off the human. He was tall for a viri; his longer legs made sprinting easier. He entertained a fool's hope that he'd make it to the vent in the back wall of the supply closet. The alternative was capture by a _human_ , a thought that sent a rare bolt of fear through his stomach.

A sharp noise of surprise came from Sawyer and he scrambled after it, whatever it was that was currently running for the wall. Lunging forward, he clasped both his hands around it, scooping it up and keeping it trapped in the center of two cupped hands like a child would hold a firefly. He brought his hands back towards himself and sat up, brain going a mile a minute as the feeling of miniscule blows hit the inside of his hands. He wasn’t sure what he would find when he opened them up. It… it had looked like a _tiny person_ ; impossible, his brain said, but he knew what he had seen. A man around six inches tall, looking up at him and then all but sprinting away.

Colfax felt a cry of alarm choke in his throat when his feet very suddenly left the ground. It was dizzying to be snatched up so quickly, and he almost didn't recognize the cramped space he found himself in. Hands. He was stuck in the human's hands. No matter how much he tried to pry them apart to escape, he remained quite stuck. His breathing became faster and faster, and though a small part of him tried to ward off the panic, the rest of him was embracing it.

 _I’m going crazy_ , Sawyer thought, but the feeling of something still trapped inside his hands argued otherwise. Curious more than anything now, Sawyer took a deep breath and tried to calm his frantic thoughts. Whatever it was, he had it now, and was about to find out just what exactly was going on. Slowly, he brought his hands up closer and opened them slightly, peeking at what was inside.

The light breaking in made Colfax freeze for a second as he whipped his gaze around. He tried to push himself away from the human eyes staring in at him, only succeeding in pressing himself into the giant fingers that held him captive. Colfax kept his focus on the narrow opening in the human's hands, fighting back his urge to cover his head with his arms. Fleeing hadn't worked, and cowering would be even less effective.

That left him one option. Colfax lunged forward and put his hands on either side of the opening the human had created. He strained against the human's strength, trying to make himself more room to slip out and get away.

Sawyer instinctively jerked his head back as the tiny man lunged forward, trying fruitlessly to get out of the small opening. It wasn’t going to happen- Sawyer didn’t even have to try to push back against the efforts of the miniature hands. Wanting to get a better look at this impossible (yet apparently completely real) little person, Sawyer shifted his grip, holding the man around the middle with one hand. He tried to hold him gently, but definitely didn’t give him any room to slip out.

Staring with open awe at the tiny man in his hands, Sawyer looked over every inch of him; not that there were many. He was absolutely amazing- so very real, with an expressive little face and a tiny heartbeat thudding rapidly against Sawyer’s fingers. With his free hand Sawyer reached up and trapped one of the little arms as gently as he could between his fingers, marveling as he ran his thumb over the itty-bitty fingers of one hand. The little guy was just so _small_ , and Sawyer slowly smiled in wonder at the tiny little hands, and tiny little feet pushing against the bottom of his own hand. He couldn’t help it; the miniature person was simply too _cute_.

Colfax felt his breath hitch as the human effortlessly took hold of his arm. He finally shuddered when he saw a smile forming on the huge face before him, and avoided looking at it by focusing on his trapped arm. He got a notion in his head, a sudden worry that the human was going to tug his limb just to see what would happen. In a valiant effort, he pulled back, trying to wrench his arm free. Thankfully, the human didn't have as strong a grip on his hand as he did around his middle, enabling Colfax to liberate his arm.

He twisted in the human's grip, his hands planted on the much larger hand surrounding him. He pushed as hard as he could, trying to drag himself free. A scowl came to his face as his efforts were rewarded with nothing but sore arms. Still, he didn't relent, even though he knew he was probably just tiring himself out for nothing. One thing he'd always been taught was that a human that got ahold of you would _never_ let you go free again.

As the tinier person shuddered in Sawyer’s hand and wrenched his arm away, Sawyer’s smile faded, immediately turning to a look of concern. “Hey, easy,” he said softly, in what he thought was a comforting tone. He shifted his hands, cupping both of them together so as to not be so constricting around the small man, but keeping one thumb across the little person’s middle like a seatbelt. Lifting him closer Sawyer looked at him earnestly and said, “I ain’t gonna hurt you.” He didn’t know if the smaller person could talk, or would even understand what he was saying, but he hoped at least some of his intentions would get across. He could still feel the little person’s heart thumping madly, and worried that it would hurt itself if it didn’t calm down.

The human's words drew Colfax's eyes back to the giant face. He stopped struggling for a moment, trying to regain some of his composure. It was an incredibly difficult task when he thought about how thoroughly trapped he was. The human held him in place with just one thumb. Colfax managed to modify his expression, showing only a faint wariness, while he thought through the list of things he knew for certain.

He'd had no choice but to expose himself, or risk poisoning by bleach. He'd been seen by a human. The same human had caught him easily. He still had his supply bag, though it had been a little rumpled. He hadn't even broken any bones when the gigantic hands closed around him. Colfax clenched his jaw to think that, despite all of these things he knew, he still had no idea what the human would do. Even if he wasn't lying about doing him harm, Colfax loathed the knowledge that he'd have no control over what happened next.

Colfax sat back in the human's hands, choosing not to fight against the digit that secured him in place. One of his hands gripped the strap of his supply bag in a white-knuckled grip. He turned his gaze away, avoiding eye contact.

Sawyer blinked as the little person stopped struggling, a bit surprised that his words had actually worked. Evidently it – or he, it looked like – really could understand him, at least in part. The little guy sat back in his hands, avoiding eye contact and trying to look composed. His still-racing heart and the tight grip he was holding his tiny bag with were giving him away, however. It was almost endearing how hard he was trying to appear cool.

Without the need to concentrate so entirely on the impossible man, Sawyer was newly aware that he was sitting on the floor of a supply closet, which anybody could walk into at any time- and might, soon, given that he’d left such a mess in the next room over. He felt a bit bad about not cleaning it up, but circumstances were obviously more than a little extenuating. With the little person still in hand Sawyer stood up, thinking through his options. Really the best thing, in his opinion, would be to just walk back to his apartment, which was hardly five minutes from his current location and would at least guarantee privacy. How to bring the little guy without anybody else seeing him, however, was another issue entirely.

Eventually he just looked down at the small person in his hands and said softly, “I’m going to put you in my jacket pocket, okay? Don’t panic.” Sawyer knew that probably wouldn’t help, but hey, it had to be better than just doing it without warning. Carefully, he wrapped one hand around the little guy and slipped him into the pocket of his zipped-up jacket. Once that was done he relaxed his grip on the smaller person but kept his hand there for stability, leaving it cupped around the tiny man and blocking the opening of the pocket. Taking a deep breath, and with one last glance down at his jacket, Sawyer left the small room and walked briskly out of the building.

Colfax tensed up a little when the human stood to his full height. It was alarming to note how tall he actually was; Colfax was certain that the man was bigger than the average human. He frowned skeptically when he received the news that he'd be stuck in the human's pocket. He tried to stop it, to grip the edge of the pocket as the human brought him near. But, just as Colfax had already observed, he had no control over where he went now. At least he hadn't been stuffed in the backpack.

He didn't squirm for very long. As soon as Colfax heard the door to the supply closet open, he froze. The last thing he wanted was for another human to notice his presence. With careful movements, Colfax shifted so that he was leaning closer to the human's abdomen than to the outer edge of the pocket. He snuck a steady hand into his bag, feeling around blindly to take inventory of what he had with him. His all-essential grappling line was still there, as well as the things he'd just raided. He needed something that could help him escape the next moment he got the chance.

He knew he couldn't possibly escape the pocket with the human's hand still practically surrounding him. It would be wiser to be patient. So Colfax gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pitch and sway of the human's rushed steps. He could wait for an opportunity. Any human could be distracted, even one as fascinated as this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it guys! Our next story (because we just can't stop writing about these characters)! As you can see it's an AU of sorts where everybody swaps species. :D So we have human!Sawyer and viri!Colfax starting us off. Gosh I'm so excited, I hope you guys like this one just as much as the last one. Please let us know what you think of it!


	2. Chapter 2

Sawyer tried to walk as steadily as he could as he left campus, though he was still rather eager to get back home. He couldn’t help but continue marveling at the sensation of the tiny person moving about on his hand, leaning up against his middle as he walked. The little guy was a lot less squirmy than Sawyer had expected, and he wondered just what all of his warning had been understood. Could the tiny person understand English? Even talk? He would have to find out once they made it back to his apartment.

God, he had so many questions. First and foremost, of course, was how such a creature could exist in the first place. Beyond that, though, how had he gotten into the school? Had anybody else ever seen him? Probably not, or Sawyer would have certainly heard about it. Interesting things, even rumors nobody would believe, tended to spread through the student body like wildfire. The little guy was just so _small_. Sawyer kept thinking back to holding him properly, feeling a tiny heartbeat against fingers nearly as long as the smaller person’s entire body. He had seemed so fragile, and obviously wasn’t even close to being strong enough to force a single finger of Sawyer’s. How had he survived on his own up until now? Had he? Perhaps there were more of them and they worked together…

Full of jumbled thoughts and vague hypotheses, Sawyer made it back to his apartment building. Climbing to the third floor, he pulled his keys from his jean pocket with his free hand and unlocked the door, slipping inside the one-bedroom residence. Closing and locking the door behind him, he walked into the kitchen area, gently scooping up the little guy and pulling him out before sitting down at the kitchen table.

Colfax squinted when he was brought out of the pocket. Even as the human sat down, he didn't pay attention to him at first. Colfax looked around quickly, mapping the room. He made particular note of the places he could use to hide. They were in a kitchen, so an obvious choice was to duck behind the fridge, if he could make it. He also noticed where some of the vents were. Decent options.

As it was, he couldn't do much running anywhere, because the human still had him trapped in a secure grip. The surface of the mildly cluttered kitchen table was mere inches below his feet. Colfax wished the man would just put him down, but he wasn't about to tell him that. Even if he wasn't completely antisocial, Colfax knew as well as any viri that one should never talk to a human.

Sawyer stared at the small person in his hand, still absolutely amazed by his mere existence. It was such a strange sensation, to hold something so warm, so very alive, yet so small in his hand. He wanted to reach out and ruffle his hair, just to see what it felt like, but remembered the tiny man’s reaction to touching his arm before and decided he probably shouldn’t.

The viri frowned faintly and pushed against the human's grip again. He was well aware that he wouldn't be able to budge it. But, last time he'd done something like this, the human had responded by loosening its hold on him. He could only hope it would work a second time, and then he might be able to enact his quickly concocted plan.

At the insistence of the little guy, Sawyer got the hint and loosened his grip, bringing up his other hand and cupping the tiny person in the middle of them with a muttered, “Sorry, li’l buddy. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable there.” He didn’t bother to hold the smaller person down with a finger or anything- given that he had managed to catch him easily the first time, even with the little guy catching him by surprise and sprinting as fast as he could away, Sawyer was pretty confident that he could stop any escape attempts this go round.

Colfax sighed, glad that he wasn't restrained, but a little irked that the human didn't put him down. It didn't matter. His plan could still work. Moving quickly, Colfax dug his hand into his bag and got it around an item that had been right at the bottom. He pulled out a polished-shiny metal sphere, a ball bearing, and hurled it over the side of the human's hands. It glittered in the air and hit the table with a clatter, rolling away.

But Colfax didn't wait around. Thinking that this distraction was his best chance, he shot to his feet and hopped over the other side of the human's hands, almost tripping on gigantic fingers. He stumbled when he hit the table, wincing as his ankles protested the action; but he didn't look back. He bolted away, hoping that the human would have focused long enough on the shiny object to give him a window of escape.

“What… hey!” Sawyer protested, his brief confusion at the little guy throwing what looked like a ball bearing quickly shifting to dismay as he all but leapt out of his hands. Sawyer scrambled after the small person, easily catching him again within moments. After all, it wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed the little guy jumping down to the table. He’d barely made it two inches before Sawyer managed to reach out and snag him again.

Keeping the would-be escapee trapped between two cupped hands just like the first time, Sawyer stood up, glancing around for something suitable to put the tiny, struggling person in. Obviously his hands wouldn’t do, not if the little guy was going to be uncomfortable one way and trying to get out the other. If he kept trying to jump off of things like that he was going to get himself hurt.

Sawyer’s eyes landed on a glass cookie jar on the counter, which now only held a few breakfast bars. Keeping the little guy secure in one hand, Sawyer managed to dump out the bars and set the empty jar on the kitchen table, before sticking his hand down in it and releasing the tiny man gently onto the bottom of the glass. Hopefully the jar would be too tall for the little guy to climb out of; if anything, it would give him some space and keep him from jumping off of more things.

Colfax scowled with frustration as the human caught him _again,_ easily holding him captive between his huge hands. He tried to squirm free when he saw the human retrieve the tall jar. Colfax knew he was defeated, and yet he still tried to fight it. _What's the point?_ he reminded himself, as the human deposited him at the bottom of the container. At least he could say he tried. He pounded his fist on the bottom of the jar in pure frustration.

Despite his attempts to keep his worries in check, Colfax's breathing was rapid and his stomach was so full of butterflies he thought he'd burst. He pushed himself to his feet, backing away from the human until the curved wall of his prison stopped him. He was positive he'd be able to get his grappling line to the rim of the jar; but Colfax had learned enough about this human's swiftness to know that such an action would probably just get his bag taken away. No matter what he tried, he would not be able to wrestle control of his own life back from the clutches of his captor.

Colfax swallowed thickly and watched the human with a steady gaze, trying to keep his fear out of his expression.

Sawyer sat back down and peered in at the little guy, trying to get as close to his level as possible. “Whoa, easy now,” he said softly, hoping he could still be heard fine through the glass jar. The top was off, at least, so he figured he probably could. The poor guy was pressed all the way against the back of the jar, and despite what appeared to be his best try at remaining calm, Sawyer could see his chest heaving and a trace of fear in his wide eyes.

Sawyer’s own look softened at that- he was usually the person that everybody got along with, and he was beginning to feel guilty for having obviously scared the little guy so badly. “Hey, listen, I’m sorry for putting you in the jar,” he said quietly, his voice earnest and calm. “I just didn’t want you jumping off of things like that, you could have gotten hurt.” He looked into the little guy’s eyes appraisingly, looking for a spark of comprehension. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Colfax watched the human's large face critically. After getting grabbed a few times, he wasn't inclined to believe that this human really had his best interests in mind. Then again, he wouldn't really believe that about _any_ human. He debated with himself on whether he should answer the man's question. On one hand, he might treat him a little less like a fascinating critter; but on the other, that would be cooperating with a human. Neither course of action had a very appealing side effect.

Colfax decided to meet halfway. The viri took a steeling breath and met those gigantic, searching eyes with his own intense dark ones. He inclined his head in a curt nod, before turning his head away with a huff. He didn't plan to speak to the human, no matter how many questions he got, but least now the man knew he was intelligent.

At the nod Sawyer’s eyes widened and a delighted grin spread across his face. “Really?” he said, sounding like an excited child. “That’s amazing! So can you talk then? How’d you get in the school? Have you always been this small?” He paused and smiled sheepishly, looking somewhat embarrassed about babbling on for a moment. “Sorry, I’m just super curious. I didn’t think someone like you could ever exist.” He laughed lightly and brushed his dark brown hair back with a hand. “Honestly, I’m still not entirely sure I’m not just going crazy.” It was unlikely, though- he had _held_ the little person with his own two hands, and the reality of the little guy was pretty much irrefutable after such an experience.

Colfax scoffed, though it was more of an amused sound than a derisive one. The human smiling was marginally less unnerving seen through glass. He wished he had a way to convince the human that he was going crazy. In that case, he might willfully let his “hallucination” walk away. But, with that string of questions in mind, Colfax doubted that he'd be walking away from this anytime soon. The human was determined and curious, probably the most dangerous combination. _Not going to help you there,_ Colfax thought ruefully.

He looked at the human and pointed at his own mouth before shaking his head, to indicate that he wouldn't speak. There was a definite air of defiance to his gesture, and in his eyes. This, at least, was something he could control, and at this point Colfax was grasping at straws. He absently twisted the strap of his bag in his hands and shifted his feet, wondering whether the human would accept his answer, or take it as a challenge.

Sawyer’s face fell at the gesture. “Oh,” he said, much quieter now. “So you can’t talk. Or you won’t.” The latter was more likely, given the sudden defiance the little guy was showing, and honestly Sawyer couldn’t blame him. Thinking back on it, he hadn’t exactly made the best first impression.

The poor little guy looked so nervous standing there, gripping onto his bag and shifting his feet, that Sawyer was hit with a pang of guilt. He had half a mind to let the poor guy back out of the jar- but he knew that if he did so the little person would just try to run away again. As selfish as it was, Sawyer didn’t want to let him go until he at least figured out _something_. After all, it wasn’t every day you found a six-inch-high man in a supply closet. He had a feeling that if he let him go now, he would never see anything like him again.

Sitting back Sawyer bit his lip, trying to think through what he should do. “Alright, here’s the deal,” he eventually said, looking at the small man in the jar. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but I just want some questions answered.” He almost sounded pleading- he was simply dying of curiosity, and if he had to let the tiny person go at some point, he would regret not learning a single thing about him first. “If you do that I’ll let you go, okay? I’ll even take you back to the school.”

Colfax raised his eyebrows slightly, a bit surprised by the deal offered. There certainly was some appeal to it, if the human really meant that he would let Colfax go. Of course, there was the strong possibility that he was being dishonest, or that “some questions” had no limit. His surprise dropped into a flat look and he shook his head tersely. Viri tended to have very few friends among their own kind, and Colfax had even fewer; but he wasn't about to sell out his entire species just so that he _might_ escape. Even if he had to spend the rest of his life trapped in that stupid jar. He sighed and sank to the ground, sitting down as if making himself comfortable, though that thought was laughable in a glass jar. Colfax regarded the human as if they were playing chess.

Sawyer’s expression turned comically aghast at the negative response. “Seriously?” he said, sounding incredulous. “ _I_ thought that was a pretty good deal.” He slumped in his chair, looking thoroughly put out. What was he going to do now? He couldn’t let the little guy go just yet- besides, it looked like he was ready to accept the consequences of not taking Sawyer’s deal. As an attempt to get even a little bit further in negotiations, Sawyer sighed and looked at the small person in the jar, who amusingly enough was now regarding him with a rather intriguing look. “Can you at least tell me your name? I’m Sawyer.” Hopefully that, at least, the little guy wouldn’t be set against communicating to him. If nothing else it would give Sawyer something proper to call him.

Colfax paused, tilting his head faintly as he thought about it. His name wouldn't exactly give anything else away. He held up a hand as if to say “wait”, and then lifted his bag off his shoulder. He opened up the satchel to rummage through it, pushing aside the semi-organized clutter. He found the broken tip of a pencil and set it aside, then resumed his search. Crumpled at the bottom of his bag, he found the torn off corner of an old receipt. He tended to keep at least one scrap like this in case he needed to take an unusual route and had to draw himself a map.

Colfax wrote his name in block letters, knowing that the inch-wide scrap of paper would be hard enough for the human – Sawyer – to see anyway. He stood and walked toward Sawyer, slapping the paper to the glass with his hand.

Sawyer watched in amazement as the little guy rummaged through his small satchel, pulling out what looked like part of a pencil and a tiny scrap of paper. His eyes widened as the little person strode forward and put the paper up to the glass, surprised by the determination with which the action was taken. Leaning forward and squinting, he read the name written there in capital letters. There was no doubt in his mind now that the little guy could speak English; he was just choosing not to for some reason. “Colfax, huh?” he said, hoping he was pronouncing the unfamiliar name correctly. He leaned back slightly and smiled at Colfax. “Nice to meet you.”

Colfax nodded once to show that Sawyer had pronounced the name correctly. Now, at least, the nickname "little guy" might not stick. _That_ would be dreadful. He pursed his lips and shrugged when the human greeted him like they'd just met at a class or something. It was... baffling. Social niceties were something of an enigma to Colfax, who rarely interacted with others at all, let alone someone keeping him in a jar.

He shuffled back to his bag, stuffing his paper back into it. Even with one side wasted, it could still be useful. Colfax tended to carry more with him than most viri; he didn't keep a permanent residence anywhere in that university building, opting rather to move around a lot. So when he closed his satchel, he closed the container of basically everything he had. That done, Colfax sat down, leaning his back against the glass and stretching his legs out in front of himself.

The response was passive to say the least, and Sawyer almost felt let down by it, but quickly shrugged it off. Honestly the little guy – Colfax, he reminded himself – had a right to be a little standoffish. “You really have a lot in there, huh?” he said conversationally, looking on with interest as Colfax put everything back in his bag. “Oh!” he exclaimed, looking as if he had just remembered something. He disappeared beneath the table for a few moments, popping back up with a triumphant look on his face. “Do you want this back?” He had the ball bearing Colfax had thrown held between thumb and forefinger, and displayed it to the little person sitting in the jar.

Colfax peered at the edge of the table, wondering what Sawyer could possibly be doing. He flinched back in surprise when the human popped up into view, and raised his eyebrows to see the shiny sphere in the human's fingers. It hadn't exactly worked on Sawyer, but in Colfax's experience, it was always good to have something like that to distract rats that might otherwise want to fight for his hard-earned food. Colfax looked from the ball bearing to Sawyer's face and nodded, almost looking sheepish.

“Here you go then,” Sawyer said, putting his whole hand in the jar and setting the ball bearing on the bottom. He smiled at Colfax, still wondering what exactly the little guy had thrown it for, but seeing that he was already looking a little embarrassed decided not to ask. Sawyer was about to ask another question when his phone rang out from his pocket, making him jump slightly in surprise. Pulling it out he answered it, tucking it up to his ear. “Hello?” The person on the other end said something, a question judging by the tone of it, and Sawyer’s eyes flicked to Colfax. “Yeah, I can check, just give me a sec,” he told the person on the phone, and stood up. Moving the phone away from his mouth he turned back to Colfax and held up a hand. “Please don’t go anywhere,” he asked, before walking quickly out of the room. Not that he thought Colfax could get to the top of the tall glass jar on his own, but he didn’t want the little guy to hurt himself trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems that Colfax and Sawyer are incapable of meeting each other without it being a traumatizing experience for one of them. ^^; They'll get there eventually, I'm sure.


	3. Chapter 3

Colfax reacted to the phone ringing with a sharp intake of breath, though he recognized it for what it was right away. Other students had far more obnoxious ringtones anyway. He stood to pick up the metal sphere in one hand, and buffed it with the sleeve of his shirt. He stuffed it back in his bag, glad to have it back. The viri almost didn't acknowledge Sawyer's request, but did a double take when the human actually left the room.

His response was immediate. Colfax picked up his satchel and swung it over his shoulder, opening the flap at the same time. He retrieved his grappling line, unlooping the twine and opening up the safety pin. He had thought he'd have to be far more patient for such an opportunity to arise, but Sawyer must have really underestimated him. With the practiced motions of an expert, Colfax took aim and threw his grappling line upwards, hooking the safety pin on the rim of the jar on his first try.

Colfax couldn't help the faint smirk that came to his face as he started the climb. Soon enough he'd disappear into the walls and leave this whole strange encounter far behind.

Sawyer walked into the bedroom with the phone against his ear, shifting through the stuff on his desk quickly. Even though he didn’t think Colfax could get out on his own, it still made him nervous to be out of sight of the little guy. Finding the piece of paper requested he recited the information on it to the guy on the phone. “Yeah,” he said, putting it back down and heading out of the bedroom. “No problem. Bye.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked back into the kitchen, an apology to Colfax already on his lips. “Sorry about that, I-” He halted mid-sentence and mid-stride as he saw the little guy practically at the top of the jar, hanging from a small rope of twine connected to a safety pin.

Colfax froze and whipped his gaze to the side, taking his focus off of the goal that was so nearly within his reach. Sawyer had come back a lot quicker than he'd expected. Colfax looked back up at the rim of the jar, then at Sawyer again. He knew the human would easily be able to catch him again. So, in order to avoid another ridiculous, short-lived chase, Colfax rolled his eyes and started to slide carefully back down his rope. When his feet were back on the bottom of the jar, he freed his safety pin with a flick of his wrist and caught it deftly in his other hand. Surprisingly, his face showed no hints of disappointment as he coiled up the twine once more, though Colfax expected that soon there would be a lid on the jar to prevent further escape attempts.

Sawyer almost laughed at the calm retreat, but thought that might be a little mean and kept some self-control. He couldn’t help but smile, however, as he walked forward and sat back at the kitchen table once again. “You’re pretty good with that thing,” Sawyer complimented him, unable to keep a hint of gentle teasing out of his voice. “You almost had me there, I have to say I didn’t see that one coming.”

He stuck his hand down into the jar and held it out expectantly. “I’m gonna have to ask you to hand that over though, and your bag too.” This was out of necessity, as the jar didn’t have a lid anymore that Sawyer could put on, but he still felt a little bad about it. Only a little, though- who knows what kind of trouble Colfax could get into if he managed to get out of the jar. He managed to get into enough trouble inside of it.

Colfax was in the middle of stowing his rope in the bag when Sawyer's hand was in front of him. He leaned back from it, but then turned an incredulous gaze up at Sawyer's face when he heard his request. It was easy to see that the human was serious. He gripped the worn out strap tightly, hesitant to give up everything he had without a fight. But, Colfax was learning quickly that Sawyer was stubborn, too, and that it was a waste of energy to try arguing with him. Sawyer was going to get the bag one way or another.

He shot the human a begrudging look and lifted the bag over his shoulder once more. Rather than handing it over, he dropped it in front of himself and then backed off. Sure, it was a rather cheeky way to do it, but it wasn't as though Colfax owed any good manners, even if he had any.

Sawyer sighed, scooping the bag off the bottom of the jar and pulling out his hand. He looked down at the tiny little satchel, dwarfed in his palm, and wondered if it was the entirety of Colfax’s possessions. It wasn’t like he was keeping them for forever, though; Colfax would get them back at some point, probably once Sawyer had a chance to look through it and take out anything the little guy could use to climb up and out of the jar. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said, knowing that Colfax was peeved with him. For good reason, but it was still kind of hard to take him seriously when he was acting like a rebellious teenager. “You’ll get it back, I promise.”

Colfax watched his bag get whisked out of reach with a neutral expression. But when Sawyer apologized, he rolled his eyes. He quirked an eyebrow, still quite confused with this human's motives. It was like he actually thought that he was keeping Colfax trapped in a jar for his own good. "Right. You promise," he muttered before he could stop himself. He glanced back at Sawyer to see if the human had noticed. He was pretty sure he hadn't spoken loudly enough for Sawyer to make out the words, but it was likely enough that he'd have heard his voice at the very least. Colfax kept his steady gaze on the human, almost managing to look bored despite the fact that he was very unsettled by his situation. Somehow it just kept going from bad to worse, all because of his own mistakes. Maybe the bleach had gotten to him more than he originally thought.

The faint sound of a voice echoed its way out of the jar and Sawyer raised his eyebrows in Colfax’s direction. He might not have been able to hear the words, but he knew backtalk when he heard it. Not to mention he was certain now that Colfax could talk, and was just choosing not to for whatever reasons. “I really _do_ promise,” he earnestly repeated, slipping the small bag he had confiscated into his jacket pocket. He would look through it later- perhaps out of sight from Colfax, now that he was sure the little guy couldn’t get out of the jar. Though after Colfax surprising him so many times, he was going to stay alert regardless.

Colfax sighed, wondering if he should reconsider the human's deal. Sawyer seemed determined to get Colfax to be friendly, or at least have a conversation with him. Maybe if he played along, he could get out of there and... no. He couldn't put everyone at risk just because he had gotten himself trapped in a jar. It was his mess, and he would clean it up somehow. He tried to think of it as a mental challenge, a puzzle to solve.

Sawyer’s stomach grumbled and he looked down at it, remembering he hadn’t eaten breakfast that day. Standing up he moved to get some food, but paused and looked back at the little guy in the jar. He was going to have to figure out something else soon- poor Colfax just looked too pitiful trapped inside the glass. “Are you hungry?” he asked, wondering what kind of food something like Colfax ate. How did he survive in the middle of a university building?

When Sawyer turned and asked Colfax a simple question, one that might be considered completely normal, the viri was a little disarmed. On one hand, Sawyer was reacting just as a human might be expected to react, trapping Colfax and stopping him from leaving. On the other, he did seem to be concerned for him, in his own strange human way. Colfax nodded once. His next stop after the supply closet was always one of the vending machines. They were always kept well stocked, some of them with healthier options for the nutrition-minded students.

Colfax’s nod was so brief that if Sawyer had blinked he might have missed it, but at the sight of it he smiled. “Alright,” he said conversationally, walking over to the pantry. Opening the door he looked over their options. “I don’t know what you eat, and since you’re not talking to me you’re going to have to deal with whatever I pick out, yeah?” This was said more in a teasing tone than anything else, and Sawyer glanced back at Colfax with a grin. He grabbed a couple of packages from the pantry and shut the door with his foot before returning to the table. Sitting down he said, “Okay, what’ll it be? Chex mix or raisins?” He offered one package in each hand and looked inquiringly at Colfax, waiting for the little guy to make a decision.

Sawyer's banter got Colfax to raise an eyebrow, a bemused look making its way onto his face. Of course he could and did eat all the same things a human could; but, he reasoned, Sawyer had no reason to know that. When Sawyer returned with two options, Colfax turned his head to look at each of them. He'd had raisins before; they were absolutely nasty compared to grapes, a personal favorite. Colfax pointed at the chex mix. Still, he couldn't help but give both options an amused, critical look before looking back at Sawyer. It was one thing for Colfax to make a lunch of whatever vending machine fare or dropped snacks he could find, but humans had access to so much more variety.

Colfax’s expressions were not lost on Sawyer. “What’s that look for?” Sawyer demanded, looking between the two options in his hands. They seemed fine to him- after all, it wasn’t quite lunchtime yet. Rolling his eyes at the little guy’s sass Sawyer opened the bag of chex mix, picking out a couple of pieces for Colfax. “You know, you’re pretty picky for somebody in a jar. If you won’t ask for what you want you’re not going to get it. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to make you live solely on snack foods, you’ll get something else later.” He reached his hand down in the jar and set the pieces of chex mix in front of Colfax, brushing the little guy’s arm in the process by accident.

Colfax gave the human a flat look, wondering what being in a jar should have to do with his mindfulness of nutrition. But soon enough a human hand had dropped right in front of him. It was a small challenge to his willpower not to flinch away from it, though he did bristle when one of Sawyer's knuckles brushed his arm. Colfax knew it hadn't been on purpose, but it was still very _strange_ to be so wholly outmatched by even one hand.

He sat cross-legged on the floor of the jar with the offered pieces of food before him. Luckily, Sawyer had given him one of the best pieces to be found in chex mix: an actual piece of chex. Colfax reached out with a fist and struck the grid-patterned piece so it broke into smaller fragments that would be easier to manage. He picked up one of the pieces, still easily a handful, and started to eat. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.

After the first bite, Colfax cleared his throat and muttered, "Thanks." Sawyer already knew he could speak, after all. And, all sass aside, Colfax was grateful that the human had thought to offer him food.

Sawyer looked at Colfax with unveiled surprise as he spoke up. Had he actually just been thanked, aloud? “You’re welcome,” Sawyer replied with a smile, quite pleased. It would appear he was actually managing to make some kind of progress.

Sitting back, Sawyer grabbed the open bag of chex mix and began eating out of it himself, thinking how strange it was that while Colfax had to break a single piece into manageable portions, he could eat at least five of them and think nothing of it. It was weird. He was used to feeling big around other people, being around six feet tall and not as slim as some other guys, but this was something else entirely. He watched Colfax curiously as he ate, distracted by the novel sight of a six-inch-tall man in a jar munching on a broken piece of chex mix.

Colfax shrugged faintly but otherwise didn't say anything further to acknowledge Sawyer's words. After that point, he made a point not to watch the human eat, focusing instead on his own food. Occasionally he would pause to brush excess salt off the chex, lest the intense flavor make him gag.

He glanced up once and was only a little surprised to find Sawyer's gaze fixed on him. He leaned away slightly despite himself, then glanced down to see if he'd gotten crumbs on himself or something like that. No, Sawyer was just staring. Colfax sighed and put his food down, then leaned back to prop himself up on his hands. He stared right back, his dark eyes steady on the human face (slightly warped courtesy of the glass barrier between them), a very clear “What next?” in his expression.

It took Sawyer a few moments to realize he had been staring, before he shook his head slightly and broke out of his daze. He saw that Colfax was staring back at him intently, a clear expression on his face, and frowned. “Oh, don’t look at me like that,” he said, putting the bag of chex mix on the table and leaning forward. “You had your chance to go, and decided to sit silently in a jar instead.”

Really, though, Sawyer didn’t have a clue what he was doing. He didn’t want to just let Colfax go, and now that it had become a battle of stubbornness he certainly wasn’t going to back down, but what then? Was he just going to keep the poor little guy in a jar for the rest of forever? That would be rather mean, but he didn’t know where else he could put him. He didn’t want Colfax being able to run off on his own- not only for the obvious reasons, but because they were pretty far from campus as far as the little guy was concerned, and Sawyer worried that he’d end up getting lost or hurting himself in the attempt.

Colfax rolled his eyes. He had seen similar attitudes day in and day out since he chose to live in that university building: the nearly entitled inquisitiveness of a human college student. As if the mere fact that something existed meant that it owed them all the answers they demanded. Colfax could almost understand that thirst for knowledge, but suddenly being the subject of scrutiny was certainly eye opening. Though he knew he was being baited, Colfax found it tougher and tougher to stay silent. "Excuse me for not feeling chatty. Got kidnapped today, you know."

Sawyer’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. “I… you…” he stammered, looking torn between shock and pouting. “I didn’t _kidnap_ you,” he protested, though a small part of him argued that yeah, he kind of did. “I didn’t even know if you were intelligent or not until a few minutes ago, you wouldn’t say a thing! Besides,” he pouted, “I haven’t ever seen something like you before. I’m just curious. And I was _going_ to let you go, but you didn’t take my deal.” Part of him felt like a bit of a child for explaining himself so emphatically, and part of him felt ridiculous for feeling the need to do it to a tiny person he had in a jar. Part of him also felt guilty, being called out on his actions, but he was trying to convince himself as much as he was Colfax.

Colfax watched Sawyer's reaction with keen attention, though his face was a neutral mask. He still couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that the human thought his "deal" was so groundbreaking. In the end, Colfax came out of it behind. No matter how Colfax looked at it, Sawyer held all the cards, and he didn't seem inclined to share them.

After a long pause in which Colfax regarded Sawyer with some annoyance and lingering wariness, the viri averted his gaze. He deliberately chose not to dignify Sawyer's protests with a response. The words hung in the air like a growing weight. In the back of his mind, Colfax wondered just how far Sawyer's patience would go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more between Sawyer and Colfax, with the latter actually talking now! And boy does he know how to sass. Their banter is my favorite. XD


	4. Chapter 4

Sawyer sighed and rubbed his face, both irritated and somewhat guilty about the lack of response. He supposed he wasn’t surprised- the little guy obviously didn’t like him. Sawyer knew that his deal wasn’t _that_ great, but it had kind of backed him into a corner when Colfax refused. If he had actually cooperated then Sawyer would have let him go, but since he decided not to Sawyer felt obligated to keep him, for a while at least. Since that was rather in line with his interests as well he wasn’t about to argue with himself about it, but still… he didn’t exactly feel like the best person at the moment.

Jesus this was hard, he wasn’t the best person to be deciding complicated moral things. “I should ask Charlie about this,” Sawyer muttered to himself, pulling out his phone. His best friend was good at that kind of thing, and crazy smart to boot, so he was sure that if anybody could handle the odd situation best it was Charlie.

Colfax looked over at the mention of a new name. He'd thought that Sawyer was idly musing about what to do; but seeing the phone already in his hand brought a jolt of dread from the pit of Colfax's stomach to his throat. "Sawyer, wait." He scrambled to his feet and walked up to Sawyer, or rather, as close as he could considering he was trapped. Hands pressed against the glass, Colfax fixed his gaze on the human and tried to look unconcerned. His quick response and widened eyes betrayed his trepidation. "Don't tell anyone about me."

At Colfax’s insistence Sawyer glanced up, a text message half written on his phone screen. He could tell that despite the little guy’s efforts to look like he didn’t care, he was surprisingly afraid. “Why not?” Sawyer asked, though his tone was gentler than it had been before. He didn’t finish the text yet, instead waiting patiently for Colfax’s answer. As much as he wanted to tell Charlie about his discovery, Colfax seemed so bothered by the idea that Sawyer wanted to give him the opportunity to convince him otherwise. After all, he’d already put the poor little guy through quite a lot.

Colfax paused. It would be really hard to come up with a good reason without also revealing that there were more of his kind; and while Sawyer wasn't the most nightmarish example of a human, Colfax did not want him catching on to the fact that there were more people out there that he could stick in jars. Colfax owed it to his species to convince Sawyer to close that text. "I have to stay secret," he answered, suddenly unsure of whether Sawyer would respect his request regardless of what he said.

"If word gets out, I'll end up under a microscope somewhere. It's bad enough that I got found out by one human." His gaze dropped again to the phone in Sawyer's hands, and Colfax wished he could lunge at the device and send it toppling to the floor, anything to prevent Sawyer bringing another human in on the whole misadventure.

Sawyer frowned; letting _Charlie_ know would hardly be getting the word out, but Colfax seemed so upset about it that he didn’t feel he had a choice. “Alright,” Sawyer sighed, deleting the text message and slipping the phone back into his pocket. “If you insist.” It was going to be hard to keep such a big secret from his best friend. He and Charlie were so close there weren’t any secrets between them, and never had been. Not to mention Sawyer was simply awful at lying. He was going to have to try his best, however; after all, it wasn’t just his secret that he was keeping. It was mostly Colfax’s.

Colfax sighed and some of the tension left his shoulders. Thank God Sawyer had relented. Sure, he only planned to tell one friend. But Colfax didn't know a thing about this other human, and whether or not he was trustworthy. Hell, Colfax didn't know that much about Sawyer, either. Just that he was apparently a student, and that he was stubborn. Conversation with him kept flipping between almost intriguing and nerve-wracking.

He realized that he had drifted off into his thoughts for several seconds. Colfax stepped back from the glass with a noncommittal shrug. "Thank you," he finally said, though his gratitude was more than a little weary. Colfax looked around his glass confinement absently, noting how cramped it actually was. Sure, it was a tall jar, but it wasn't extremely wide. Colfax could cross it in two medium strides. "Is this... permanent?" he asked, his gaze returning to Sawyer once more.

“Uh…” Sawyer mumbled, looking a little guilty. He knew he should let Colfax out of the jar- it would be mean to keep him in such an uncomfortable space for any longer. The only problem was, he had no idea where else he could put the little guy. “No,” he eventually said. Sliding back his chair, he stood up and held up a finger to Colfax. “One sec.” He walked out of the kitchen space and into the living room, looking around for anything that could possibly make a good container for Colfax. It had to be something that could be made comfortable, but the same time would keep the little guy from getting out. Tricky, to say the least.

Eventually he decided that the drawer in his bedside table, which was decently big and could be locked from the outside, was probably his best bet. It wouldn’t do to put Colfax in there right now, however- keeping him trapped in such a dark space, alone, would be even meaner than the jar. With a small sigh Sawyer went back in the kitchen and started clearing off the table around Colfax’s jar. “I’m going to let you out of the jar, okay?” he informed the little person, glancing over at him to see his reaction. “But you know that if you run, I _will_ be able to catch you.” Not to mention Sawyer still had his bag- to his knowledge, there was no way Colfax could even get down from the table without breaking something.

Colfax watched Sawyer go, even tilting his head and trying to follow his progress in the other room. But the human was out of sight for several minutes. Colfax pictured the man coming back with a hamster cage or something equally demeaning, and frowned at the thought. He sighed with relief when Sawyer came back into the kitchen empty-handed, though he knew that he shouldn't celebrate just yet.

The viri scoffed and inclined his head at Sawyer's warning. It wasn't as if he had anywhere to run. Sure, he could probably shimmy down a table leg if he was extremely careful and slow. With Sawyer right there, that option was so obviously out. "Yes. I understand," Colfax answered begrudgingly. At least he'd be out of the stupid jar. "Wouldn't want to tempt fate anyway, I've probably used up all my luck getting grabbed before." Even as he spoke the somewhat derisive words, he looked up at the opening of his prison, relieved to finally be getting out.

Sawyer smirked at that, recognizing the truth in it. Good lord the little guy could be sassy when he wanted to be. Cleaning by way of moving the mess from the table to the kitchen counter, Sawyer returned to stand by the table. Reaching into the jar, he wrapped a hand around Colfax, being careful not to bump him into the glass as he removed him from the jar. It was still such a novel sensation to hold such a tiny, alive person in his hand, and it was rather reluctantly that Sawyer set him down on the table.

Colfax squared his jaw as Sawyer lifted him out of the jar. It was a weird, unsettling feeling, to fit so easily in someone's entire hand. Sawyer was tolerably careful, at least, but Colfax didn't see himself ever _liking_ this form of transportation. He had no control this way. Sawyer placed him on the table as he said he would, but there was no stopping the human from going back on his word. Colfax pushed that unfriendly thought out of mind.

Picking up the jar, which was now empty save for a few remaining pieces of chex mix, Sawyer returned it to its usual spot and sat back down at the table in front of Colfax. It was odd to see him standing freely on the table, not trying to run and not behind glass. Honestly, Sawyer found it fascinating. He moved just like a person, down to the shifting of his feet, only… in miniature.

Colfax ignored Sawyer for a moment to look out across the flat expanse of the table. It was probably not that impressively large by human standards. He couldn't help but notice that there was very little left on the surface due to Sawyer's quick sweep, making the table look much wider. If Colfax were out looking for supplies, he would consider this a monumental disappointment.

Colfax glanced over his shoulder, no longer able to ignore the human eyes on his back. His gaze trailed briefly over the clutter stacked on the kitchen counter. There was a thick textbook among it, and Colfax couldn't help but wonder what it contained. "I hope that isn't a biology textbook," he remarked sarcastically.

“Why?” Sawyer asked, brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn’t fathom why Colfax would be asking. Though, he was quite pleased that the little guy was talking more, even if it did only consist of sarcastic snippets. Some progress was still progress, after all, and he doubted either of them wanted to sit through the awkward silence that would ensue otherwise.

He glanced over at the textbook in question. Honestly it had been in that pile for a while, and he didn’t think he’d ever actually read any of it, so it took him a while to remember what exactly it was. Eventually he remembered it was an ancient history textbook; meaning it had been in the pile for at least eight months now. Oops. That would be one thing he wouldn’t be informing Colfax about- something told him that any ammo he gave the little guy would probably be flung back at him later when it would sting worst.

A bemused smirk and a shake of the head later, Colfax opened his mouth to explain the joke. But, then he thought better of it and let it go. Still, the morbid comment did linger briefly in his mind; Sawyer didn't _seem_ like an incredibly scientific student, but the thought was still a bit worrisome. What if he _had_ been found by a biologist?

"Never mind," he muttered with a shrug. He shuffled away a bit to investigate one of the few things left on the table. He knelt and picked up an inch of graphite meant for a mechanical pencil. He smirked faintly at the thought that this thing was easy for him to pick up in his hand, but that Sawyer would probably have a difficult time picking it up in his huge fingers. "Missed a spot," he quipped, straightening up. He absently scuffed his heel over a mark on the table where the lead had been dragged over it. "If not biology, what _do_ you study?" Colfax had always been a little intrigued by the way some humans studied a subject so intently.

“As of today?” Sawyer said, raising an eyebrow. He chose to ignore the rest of it, not deigning to give Colfax’s snarky little remarks a response. “Archeology. But I think I’m going to change it to Sports Psychology at the end of this semester.” Though he was already in his third year at the university, Sawyer was on his fourth choice of major- and that was only after he stopped being “undecided”. He thought he might be clinically incapable of deciding what he wanted to do with his life- unlike Charlie, who’d known exactly what he’d wanted to do since, like, high school. Sawyer just wanted to do something _fun_ , but apparently that was harder to accomplish than it sounded.

“Do you ever study anything?” he asked Colfax, genuinely curious. “I mean, if you live in a university building you probably pick up a lot of things, huh?” Sawyer couldn’t imagine living in a school building, though; it would get unbearably boring to have to sit through _that_ all the time. Then again, he doubted Colfax was just sitting around- and the world had to be ten times more adventurous at that size. Sawyer was almost jealous. Almost.

Colfax wondered what it must be like, having so many options in front of you that you couldn't pick one. Growing up as a viri, he'd always known what his existence would be like. Surviving in secrecy, subsisting on whatever things he could find. Not like a human, who could pick up a “career” and just do that for the rest of their life.

"I listen in on some lectures," he admitted. But the only topic he'd really studied with any consistent focus was the behavior of the creatures he had to deal with on a daily basis. Mice living in the walls, birds when he had occasion to venture outside. He had even studied humans and their routines, though the finer points of their social lives always eluded him. "It's hard to find a safe place to watch from, though." With so many eyes in the room, some highly focused and some wandering over everything that wasn't the professor, even hiding in the vents was risky. "Especially closer to finals."

The corner of Sawyer’s mouth pulled up at that. “I can imagine,” he said. Finals week was a busy, stressful time for everybody, and the population in the actual classrooms practically doubled as people stopped skipping class. He could only think how dangerous that must be for somebody who stood at just six inches.

Sawyer tried to think of what he could ask next. Despite his previous determination, Colfax seemed to be opening up a bit in their conversation, and Sawyer wondered just how many innocent little questions he could ask before Colfax decided to clam up again. Probably not many but hey, a guy could try. “Has anybody ever seen you before?” he asked, leaning on the table with his elbows. “I mean, besides me.” Sawyer thought that, with the amount of students running about the place, surely he wasn’t the only one to have caught Colfax by surprise. Then again, if another student had found him before, Colfax might not have been around the building to be caught by Sawyer.

Colfax shook his head. Judging by Sawyer's reaction, he would definitely know if someone had caught sight of him before, even without managing to catch him. Rumors of his existence would spread like wildfire on that campus. " _You_ wouldn't have found me if it weren't for that bleach," he pointed out confidently. "I was waiting for you to just leave." He imagined for a moment how much stress he'd have avoided if that cleaner hadn't leaked. Colfax tilted his head, his eyes narrowed almost accusingly, and asked "What were you even doing in the supply closet? Normally no one goes in there until four." He sounded a little miffed that the routine had been broken.

Sawyer tried to hold back an amused smile and mostly failed. Colfax just sounded so peeved that Sawyer had been in a room of his own school building, how dare he. “I was looking for paper towels,” he replied simply, not mentioning what they had been for. He hadn’t thought about what Colfax had been doing in plain sight on the floor before, but now he realized that was probably his fault as well. Bleach had to be particularly potent to somebody like him. Otherwise the little guy probably would have stayed hidden, and Sawyer would never have found him. He supposed it was a rather lucky mishap in that way, at least for him. Probably not so much from Colfax’s perspective.

“You really know the schedule around there, huh?” Sawyer commented, thinking about Colfax’s last comment. He supposed a class building like that would have pretty routine schedules, easy for someone like Colfax to figure out.

"I have to," Colfax answered simply. Knowing the schedule of the humans in a given building was a necessity for any viri; but to Colfax, _not_ knowing was a terrifying prospect, one that would honestly cost him precious hours of sleep. He remembered how cautious he had been when he first moved there, and that was with the knowledge that the students would be on the same schedule every day. Now he could recite the timetables for every weekday if he wanted. "I know that if you had a class during the third block, you're beyond late now," Colfax added with a smirk.

Sawyer laughed at that. “No, I don’t have a ten o’clock class,” he said, glancing at the microwave to check the time. It was about quarter ‘til eleven at the moment- how time flies when you’re talking to somebody impossible. “I do have an eleven o’clock though,” he muttered, thinking aloud. He tapped his fingers absently on the edge of the table before seeming to reach a decision. “I think I’m going to skip that one today.” He wasn’t about to leave Colfax on his own in the house, but he didn’t exactly have a plan in mind for bringing him to class either.

At least his class that morning was the only one in Colfax’s building, so if the little guy managed to escape he would probably be more lost than anything; although, that made Sawyer feel pretty nervous as well. He would have to figure out something, however. After all, he couldn’t just keep skipping classes for the rest of the semester.

Colfax glanced down at the table as Sawyer tapped his fingers on it. It was such a casual motion to the human, and Sawyer probably didn't think anything of it; but Colfax could feel every impact reverberating through the surface. It was humbling. As if he needed another thing to add to _that_ list.

"Skipping class? Looks like I'm a bad influence on you." Colfax couldn't remember the last time he'd had this many opportunities to be sarcastic. Living alone was generally preferable, but he'd be lying if he said that this conversation wasn't a little bit entertaining. Almost enough to forget the fact that he was a prisoner. "Don't flunk out on _my_ account."

Sawyer just grinned and said, “If I haven’t flunked out yet, I’m not going to just because _you_ showed up.” He would have to face Charlie about it, though- that was the one class they had together, and his friend was definitely going to notice when he didn’t show up. He’d have to think of a reasonable excuse, though the thought of even more lying made him uncomfortable. Keeping this secret was going to be really hard for him to pull off, especially since Charlie was bound to notice if he started acting weird. That was a bridge they could cross when they got to it, he supposed. At least Charlie was more likely to text him than anything else, so that would make things somewhat easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's another escape attempt failed for Colfax. XD He can't catch a break today. He honestly would have been better off too if he had let Sawyer tell Charlie about him- but of course, he couldn't have known that. ^^;


	5. Chapter 5

Colfax raised an eyebrow at Sawyer's nonchalance. Choosing to break schedule and just shrugging it off like that was something Colfax would have had difficulty with. He got irritated when he had to use different vents because of the maintenance crew. At least his current situation, though out of the ordinary, was turning out a little less terrifying than he'd expected. Colfax was still a little nervous in the back of his mind, especially without the familiar weight of his bag on his shoulder, but at least he wasn't confined in a jar.

A sudden image came to mind of Sawyer opting to bring Colfax to class in the future, to avoid letting him out of sight. "If you change your mind, count me out. No way I'm going in that backpack." The thought of some heavy book or computer toppling over was a bit too alarming to even consider Sawyer's backpack as anything but a death trap. "So if you planned to have your own handheld study buddy, you'll be disappointed."

“‘Handheld study buddy’, huh?” Sawyer said with a grin. It sounded surprisingly cute, though Sawyer doubted Colfax had meant it to. Reaching out he ruffled Colfax’s hair with a finger. He’d been wanting to do that for a while, and was pleased to learn that the tiny hairs were in fact as soft and fun to mess up as he had imagined. Colfax’s reaction made him chuckle, though he did withdraw his hand and leave him alone after that.

At first, Colfax thought Sawyer was about to grab him again. His heart beat a little faster out of instinct. But the human messing with his hair was, quite possibly, more irritating than getting picked up. A part of him worried about having his neck strained from the gigantic touch, but most of him was just plain irked. He scowled and patted his hair back down with both hands. He shuffled a few steps further away, though he was still well within reach.

As for Colfax’s determined statements, however- Sawyer simply gave Colfax a small, tight smile, only saying, “We’ll see.” The likelihood of Colfax staying at home by himself was close to zero, though he might take into account the little guy’s preference of not being in the backpack. He supposed the mess in there could be kind of dangerous, and it wouldn’t be the most comfortable. Then again, he didn’t suppose Colfax would be comfortable with any of the scenarios Sawyer could think up.

Sawyer's almost knowing smile did not escape the viri's notice. His shoulders fell just a little. Of course he didn't actually have much of a say in whether he went to all of Sawyer's classes. And he definitely didn't want to escape into a crowded classroom without his bag, so it was one of Sawyer's surest ways to keep the viri in check. He might as well try to salvage some kind of good outcome. "Well, is archaeology interesting at least?" he asked. There was some actual curiosity mixed in with his defiant tone.

“I guess,” Sawyer said with a noncommittal shrug. “I thought it was going to be more exciting, like lots of Indiana Jones type stuff, but its just a lot of history. Charlie might be cut out for reading all those thick books everyday but it’s not really my style.” So far it had been a lot of really boring facts and years and the occasional cultural study, not at all like the cool adventure scenes that Sawyer had imagined. They even went to a dig once but nothing interesting happened, they just dug carefully in the dirt all day. And then it rained.

“Anthropology is kind of fun, though,” Sawyer added after a moment, having thought through his classes. “The teacher is nice, and the class isn’t so much history as like, what people do and why they do it. I dunno, it’s better than the other ones at least.” That was one of the classes he had the following day, so if he decided to take Colfax along he supposed the little guy could decide for himself whether it was interesting or not. It might be a pretty different class for him, considering it was a study of humans, and Colfax presumably wasn’t one. It would be like alien studies or something. Huh, now Sawyer was actually looking forward to that class more.

Colfax wasn't sure what Indiana Jones could be. He had a vague recollection that Indiana was one of the United States, but his exposure to maps was quite limited, so he had no idea where it would be. He decided not to ask, to avoid sounding as uneducated as he always felt. "Anthropology," he muttered out loud. He'd seen a few lectures several semesters ago, but that class had been moved to a different building to make room for more enrollment.

Learning a little about what people did and, especially, _why_ they did it could prove very useful. Colfax had a feeling that the topic would baffle him for the most part, but it might be worth a try. “Maybe I’ll learn what makes you so stubborn,” he quipped. Colfax knew he really wasn’t one to talk, considering he was stubborn enough to accept captivity rather than answer too many questions about himself.

Sawyer scoffed at that. “That’s rich, coming from you,” he retorted, poking Colfax squarely in the chest. “Mr. Stubborn McStubbornpants. You were the one who didn’t talk for like half an hour out of sheer determination to spite me.” Not to mention deciding to be kept in a jar rather than actually say anything of value. Though Sawyer thought he’d managed to get a fair bit of information out of Colfax regardless- he knew he lived in the university building for one, and had been there a long time without being seen by anybody. He knew Colfax hid around and listened in on lectures sometimes. It actually gave Sawyer quite a decent picture of what the little guy’s life must have been like. He felt the tiniest bit accomplished for having gathered that much in between Colfax’s determined silence and sarcastic remarks.

Colfax took a shaky step backwards, more out of surprise than actual loss of balance. Sawyer's hand had come at him so quickly that he hardly had time to register that the guy had just _poked_ him before it was retreating again. Colfax threw the human a flat look and brushed off the front of his shirt, straightening it out. "Funny joke, I'm laughing to tears on the inside," he shot back. The way Colfax saw it, Sawyer had definitely earned some spite.

Sawyer’s eyes widened and he grinned. “Ooh, that almost stung,” he said teasingly. Colfax had been a bit irritated and dry before, but that last remark had been a sharp one. A thought hit him and his grin widened. “What, do you not like being touched?” He reached out a hand and began bothering Colfax, poking him here, tugging on a sleeve there. Nothing that would hurt him, but little teasing things that would certainly annoy him. It was great fun. “Hm? Does this bother you?” He knew Colfax couldn’t really do anything about it; that would teach him to be so snarky all the time.

Sawyer's mischievous grin was the first warning sign. Colfax tried to move out of the way, but soon a human hand was upon him again, this time prodding at him relentlessly. He was a little overwhelmed at first. He barely had time to try to push at the huge fingertips before getting nudged on the opposite side. The butterflies returned to his stomach as his instinct told him to get away before the hand right next to him snagged him in a powerful grip. His more rational side was quite assured that Sawyer was just messing around, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Alright, stop," Colfax groused. He considered himself a very patient person, but this was just _ridiculous._ "Quit that!" he said a little more forcefully when a tug on his sleeve made him stumble.

Watching Colfax all but whirl around in an attempt to even find the prodding digits was simply too entertaining. Sawyer’s grin faded slightly, however, as he saw Colfax actually stumble thanks to his botherations. It was easy to forget just how _fragile_ the little guy was when he talked so much smack all the time.

Though, Sawyer was still having a bit too much fun with the whole thing to stop just yet. “Oh, come on,” he teased. Making sure to be gentler this time he pinched the front of Colfax’s shirt and tugged it forward. “If you didn’t want retaliation like this then you shouldn’t have been such a tiny bundle of sass in the first place.” Though Sawyer had to admit, he’d rather taken advantage of the situation to try some things he’d wanted to do since he first found the little guy.

Colfax attempted to twist out of reach when he realized Sawyer's intent, but he wasn't quite quick enough. His shoes skidded on the tabletop as he dug his heels in, but he couldn't stop Sawyer from dragging him forward. With a frown, Colfax put his hands on the finger and thumb holding his shirt captive and tried to pry them open. The stubborn grip did not relent, though that was no surprise. " _Fine,_ you've made your point, _giant_ , now let go." After getting called “tiny”, he couldn't resist calling attention to his own perspective. To a viri, Sawyer was alarmingly large indeed.

Sawyer rolled his eyes at that but let go, releasing Colfax’s shirt without warning. “Wow, ‘giant’, I haven’t heard that one in a while.” He wasn’t exactly unused to it, as he’d gotten teased a lot as a kid for being taller than everybody else. Of course, there was a difference between being about six inches taller than somebody and being about six feet taller than them. To Colfax the phrase was a great deal more literal. “And here I thought you might have learned your lesson about abusing your sarcasm.” Reaching out he snuck a hand behind Colfax and swept his feet out from under him with the other one, catching the little guy neatly in his palm.

Colfax threw his arms out as he fell, and landed with a faint "Uff!" on Sawyer's waiting hand. It was jarring, and he had to blink a couple times to reorient himself. He sat up with a glare, sparing the surface beneath him a glance. Colfax bit back his retort, finally wise to the fact that saying anything only seemed to encourage further teasing. He hated to give in, but Colfax wasn't entirely sure how much more prodding he could deal with. It was a stark contrast, to go from having no one else around, to being the entertainment for a touchy human. The viri hesitated to scramble off of Sawyer's hand; he could see this becoming a game of cat and mouse unsettlingly quickly. He remained still and silent, and fixed a cautious stare on the face looming over him.

When Colfax didn’t say anything Sawyer frowned, immediately feeling guilty. As much as he had teased the little guy about it, he didn’t _really_ want the bantering to stop. After all, sarcastic comments meant that Colfax wasn’t too afraid of Sawyer to say such things to him; and while Colfax sitting willingly in his hand sounded like a good thing, Sawyer knew it was from fear of potential consequences rather than trust.

Sawyer was many things, but he didn’t want a bully to be one of them. So he muttered, “Sorry,” and tilted his hand, allowing Colfax to slide of onto the table. Once his hand was free he leaned back and crossed his arms, averting his gaze. “I didn’t mean to make you stop. You can talk if you want.” It had just been a bit of fun, and he didn’t regret most of it, but Sawyer could see that it had gone a little too far.

Colfax sat there, the fact that Sawyer had actually uttered an apology echoing in his ears. He regarded the human quietly for a few seconds more, noting that he looked almost bashful. Colfax couldn't really complain; getting poked at was one thing, but having his footing knocked out from underneath was disorienting. There was too much potential to knock his head on something for it to feel safe. Still, with a begrudging sigh and a roll of his dark eyes, Colfax realized that Sawyer hadn't meant anything malicious by it.

"So glad to have permission," Colfax snarked as he stood up and brushed himself off. Hopefully the sarcasm would bring things back to the tentative equilibrium they had achieved. "No more of that knocking me over business. The last thing I need today is a broken neck."

Sawyer smiled, surprisingly relieved to see that Colfax didn’t seem to have kept a lasting grudge about it. The sarcasm had returned, and with it Sawyer’s comfort about the matter. “Alright, no more knocking you over,” he conceded. “Scout’s honor.” He had never been a boy scout but hey, it still had to mean something, right? For that matter, he didn’t know if Colfax even knew what a boy scout was. Oh well. The sentiment would probably get across regardless.

Colfax had heard the phrase before, and in context he did understand it. Someday, perhaps, he'd have to ask what it meant. He caught himself in that thought, berating himself for thinking of this arrangement as something permanent. He still had to escape somehow, though he wasn't sure what he'd do to accomplish it. In the meantime, he would have to patiently deal with a playful human. Easier said than done.

A thought struck Sawyer and he leaned forward with sudden concern. “I didn’t… hurt you at all, did I?” he asked worriedly. He had thought he was being careful, but Colfax’s statement about a broken neck had him nervous. The little guy was pretty fragile, after all, and who was he to tell?

"No," Colfax answered, a little surprised to find Sawyer's face so much closer. "Just surprised me more than anything," he admitted, for some reason feeling bad that he'd worried a human. But it wasn't lost on Colfax that that worry was for _him._ It was puzzling, to say the least. "Despite appearances, I am not a toy made of plastic or wood. I'm made of all the same things you are, just... less." While it was a bit discouraging to openly admit his own vulnerability, Colfax figured it might be prudent to point that out sooner rather than later, especially if Sawyer's teasing antics became habit-forming.

“Right,” said Sawyer, thinking through all that. He had known it all, of course- Colfax didn’t feel like a toy, and he certainly didn’t act like one. Which honestly made him much more susceptible to injury. If wood is dropped a couple of feet it will come out of it unharmed, but not so with something like Colfax. Sawyer was going to have to be extra careful; something he wasn’t used to being, but was going to try nonetheless. “I’ll be delicate with you, don’t worry,” he promised Colfax, only slightly teasing. He gave the little guy a gentle nudge and a grin, knowing full well it would irritate him. Colfax was so easy to get riled, despite his continuous efforts to appear otherwise.

Colfax wondered idly if his face would eventually get stuck in the flat, unamused expression he kept using. He swayed faintly from Sawyer's touch, and rolled his eyes. " _Thanks,_ I feel a lot better already," he answered dryly. He thought about what his fellow viri would say if they saw him tolerating Sawyer's pokes and nudges. At least he didn't have a phobia of touch, like his old friend Adrian.

Colfax crossed his arms, suddenly feeling the need to redeem his image. "Not that I can't handle myself perfectly well," he boasted. Of course, standing there without his bag and within laughably easy reach of a human, Colfax was as helpless as he could be without being tied down.

“I’m sure you can,” said Sawyer with a chuckle. He actually meant it, too; despite how powerless Colfax was at the moment, and how easily Sawyer could keep him from doing anything, Sawyer had seen what the little guy could do with just a bit of rope. Given a bit of help Sawyer was sure Colfax actually could take care of himself. After all, he had apparently been doing so for quite some time now. “Just how long have you been living in that building?” Sawyer wondered, looking down at him curiously. It was weird to think that Colfax may have been at the university for longer than he had, though not as a student of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Colfax, Sawyer teases him so mercilessly. XD Sawyer's having a bit too much fun with his newfound little friend. It's a good thing he didn't find Adrian- Colfax, at least, can handle most of the poking and prodding.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hmm." Colfax paused to think about it. Keeping track of time wasn't as important as it was to keep track of the activities of humans or the changing weather with the seasons. But, since he'd lived in a school for a while, Colfax tended to count his time there by semesters. " _That_ building, I've been there for... five terms," he hesitated, wanting to be absolutely sure of his numbers. "I used to live in the old Jorgensen building for almost three semesters but I had to move when they remodeled it." He did miss that old building. Things were quite drafty in the new building, so much so that even the students regularly complained. It was the worst over their winter break, when the heating was always turned off. But, he'd always known that it was incredibly foolish to move when it wasn't absolutely necessary, so he had remained in his current residence.

“I remember Jorgensen,” Sawyer remarked, thinking back to his freshman year. The remodeling had been kind of a big deal then, but he imagined it was a much bigger deal for Colfax. He was rather intrigued that the little guy seemed to count time in semesters, but was even more curious about what moving from one building to another would entail for someone such as Colfax. “You moved, huh? I bet that was an ordeal.” Even on campus they had quite a bit of wildlife around, and Sawyer knew that Jorgensen and East Quad, where he had found Colfax, were a good distance apart even for students. Somebody of Colfax’s height traversing that sounded dangerous- though, also quite the adventure. Thinking about it, however, Sawyer found it rather unbelievable that Colfax hadn’t been seen by anybody before this, given the kinds of things he had done.

Colfax shrugged. He had waited until all of the students had moved out for the summer to even consider embarking on his trek. That had made going unnoticed a lot easier. It also meant that he was able to find abandoned items very easily for almost the entire trip. "Not so bad. I took extra food but other than that all I had to carry was my bag."

Seeing the somewhat impressed look on Sawyer's face, Colfax felt a little emboldened to reveal more, despite himself. "Only real problem I ran into was a crow." That bastard had really come close to carrying Colfax off. "I had to throw one of my shinier pins to make it leave me alone." And that encounter had taught him the lesson to always have something shiny on hand. It was too bad it hadn't worked so well on Sawyer.

“Oh, so that’s why you threw the ball bearing earlier!” Sawyer exclaimed, his eyes wide as he finally put two and two together. This quickly turned to a thoroughly skeptical look as he added, “You thought I could be distracted by something shiny? Because it worked on a _crow_? _Really_?” It sounded more ridiculous than the actual occurrence, now that he knew the reasoning behind it. He supposed Colfax probably didn’t know that much about humans, having avoided them his entire life, but still. Humans and crows were pretty different; and as distracting as something shiny could be for a moment, Sawyer was fairly certain that he still could have caught Colfax despite the slight loss of reaction time.

Colfax flinched when Sawyer suddenly spoke up in a startling outburst. "Well. Yeah," he answered sheepishly, dropping his gaze from Sawyer's face in embarrassment. That plan had ended so poorly that even Colfax had to admit he was stupid to think it would work. But, at the time he had been desperate, sitting in the hands of a human whose intentions were impossible to read. "I thought it would at least buy me more time," he admitted. But he had barely had a chance to run for a full second before Sawyer's hands had closed around him yet again.

“Sorry to tell you, bud, but you’re much more interesting than a ball bearing,” Sawyer said with a grin. “And I’m just a bit smarter than a crow.” There was no way something small and shiny was going to distract him from a real, live, little person for very long. Not to mention Colfax could have gotten all the way across the table and Sawyer still could have probably caught him, but he wasn’t about to point that out. Colfax still seemed a little embarrassed, so Sawyer tried to make him feel better by saying, “I bet birds are real tough customers though. I’m impressed you managed to deal with one so easily.” Birds were rather aggressive and annoying to humans, Sawyer could only imagine how much of a danger they could pose to something much smaller than them.

Colfax scoffed and shook his head, though there was the faintest smirk on his face. Crows, despite what some humans tended to think, were a lot smarter than they appeared. Underestimating them was easy for someone as big as Sawyer, but Colfax would never make that mistake. It was just good fortune that they liked to collect glittery things. Still, he'd come dangerously close to becoming the bird's prey.

Colfax raised an eyebrow at Sawyer, thinking about what he'd said. "So there's really nothing that'll distract you long enough, is there?" he asked ruefully. It wasn't lost on him that he was revealing a bit more about himself as time went on, but it didn't seem like Sawyer's thirst for knowledge would be satisfied so easily.

Sawyer shook his head and said, “Nope. Nothing.” He was thoroughly determined, not to mention highly aware of Colfax’s potential escape attempts now. Unless something completely unexpected happened, Colfax didn’t stand a chance at distracting him that much.

Of course, as soon as he thought that, something unexpected happened.

There was a light, if neat, rapping on the door, making Sawyer jump a little from surprise. With a glance over at Colfax, who was standing thoroughly in plain sight on the table, Sawyer made a split-second decision. Standing up, he snatched up Colfax before the little guy could say otherwise, placing him as gently yet as quickly as he could in his jacket pocket. Taking a deep breath he walked over to the door, looking through the peephole before opening the door with a small, resigned sigh. “Hey, Charlie,” he said, giving his best friend a weak smile.

Colfax managed to take a full breath in the time it took for Sawyer to grab him and stuff him back in his pocket. He sat there, thoroughly dazed by the rapid transition, hoping that his heart would soon ease back down from its place in his throat. He agreed with the notion to keep him hidden, but even so he felt a little green from being moved so fast. Of course it was too much to hope that Sawyer wouldn't open the door to whoever was knocking.

Colfax tensed, barely daring to breathe as Sawyer greeted his friend. He stared upwards in the direction of Sawyer's face, though of course all he could see was more pocket. He silently prayed that Sawyer wouldn't go back on his word. He also said a little prayer that this Charlie person wouldn't notice anything huddled in Sawyer's jacket pocket.

“Hello Sawyer,” Charlie said, in a British accent quite familiar to Sawyer. He was standing anxiously in the doorway, still wearing his school bag. He looked quite concerned about something, though Sawyer soon found out exactly what was the matter. “I just thought I’d stop by to check on you, since you weren’t in class.” Sawyer sighed and Charlie looked up at him with a frown. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Charlie,” Sawyer assured him. He almost invited him inside out of habit, and because the short, petite student looked thoroughly chilled in the hallway despite his sweater, but realized that was probably a bad idea. The sooner Charlie could be mollified and leave, the less lying Sawyer would have to bumble his way through. “I just, uh, didn’t feel the best earlier so I decided not to go to class.” He weakly coughed, and it sounded like the fakest sound on the face of the earth to him, but if anything Charlie looked more concerned. “You should go,” he urged. “It might be something contagious, who knows?”

Though he was trying to stay still, Colfax's hand covered his face almost as an automatic response to Sawyer's horrible act. Thankfully the motion didn't agitate the fabric of the pocket. He dragged the hand down his face, dark eyes shut tight. Suddenly he wondered if his secret would actually be safe. He might have kicked Sawyer's stomach to point out how forced he sounded, but that would probably just make him flinch and give away Colfax's existence.

Colfax waited with stilled breath to hear Charlie's reply, knowing that any suspicion in the other human could end very badly for him.

Unfortunately, his mention of contagion only served to make Charlie even more concerned for Sawyer. “Oh that’s not good at all, do you think you need to go to the doctor?” Charlie asked, genuinely worried for his friend. Stepping close he looked up at Sawyer as if to judge for himself how sick he might be. “Shall I come in and make some soup?” he asked, knowing full well that Sawyer was absolute rubbish when it came to taking care of himself, or cooking for that matter.

“Charlie, I’m _fine_ ,” Sawyer insisted, giving his friend as comfortable a smile as he could muster. “I’m already feeling better than earlier. I just, uh, need some rest I think.” He hoped he sounded suitably convincing. “I’ll text you later when I feel totally back to normal, okay? I promise.”

“Alright, if you insist,” Charlie said, stepping back again reluctantly. “I worry about you, you know.” He was trying to sound scolding, but it only came out as fretting.

Sawyer rolled his eyes, but he really did appreciate Charlie’s concern. It was so genuine it would be impossible not to- Charlie just cared about him enough to fuss over him all the time. “I know,” he said. “I’ll text you, alright? Talk to you later.” With that he managed to say goodbye to his best friend and close the door again, locking it with a relieved sigh.

Colfax heaved a relieved sigh of his own as soon as he heard the door close and the lock slide shut. Trapped with one human was quite enough. When Charlie had stepped closer to Sawyer, Colfax had worried he was about to push past him into the room. Now that he was gone and the close call was over, Colfax could shift in the pocket to a slightly less awkward position. His hair had been quite thoroughly messed up when Sawyer had stuffed him into the pocket, and now he shook his head to try and fix it. He elbowed Sawyer's stomach for all he was worth. "Nice work. Sure had me convinced," he called. "Now let me out of here."

The light sensation of Colfax jabbing his stomach as well as the little guy’s words reminded Sawyer that he had somebody in his pocket. “Shut up,” he mumbled as a retort, reaching in his jacket and pulling Colfax out. “He believed me, didn’t he?” Sawyer said to the rather disheveled person in his hand, walking back to the kitchen table and depositing him there.

Sawyer felt really bad about lying to Charlie, especially since his friend had been so worried about him, but at least he had kept his promise to Colfax. Which was a miracle, considering how terrible he was at being dishonest. It was a good thing Charlie naturally thought the best of everybody, his friends especially, and therefore would never consider that Sawyer would ever tell him anything but the truth. Under normal circumstances, Sawyer in turn would never consider breaking that trust. These, however, were nowhere near normal circumstances.

Colfax hummed quietly to indicate that he'd heard Sawyer's words; but he took a few seconds to fuss over his appearance, combing his fingers through his hair until it fell properly. He straightened his shirt once more, brushing away a piece of pocket lint that had stuck to him. Then, he allowed himself to sigh with relief that Sawyer's acting had still managed to convince his friend. Staying secret wasn't usually such a task.

Leave it to a human to complicate the simple things. With all the teasing Sawyer had thrown his way, Colfax really couldn't resist the opportunity to return the favor. "Marvelous. I haven't seen very many movies, but I bet you could be in as many as you wanted, acting talent like that," he quipped, an actual chuckle accompanying his words this time.

“Oh can it, shorty,” Sawyer retorted, sitting down at the kitchen table. In retaliation he reached over and messed up Colfax’s carefully arranged hair again, amused that the little guy had been so particular about his appearance a few moments ago. He’d even put it before sarcasm. “I wouldn’t have to try to act if it weren’t for you. You probably haven’t even seen any good movies anyways.” He wondered what kind of movies Colfax actually had been able to see, since he probably only ever watched them by sitting in on lectures. For that matter, Colfax might not have ever seen a full movie, since professors usually only got through parts of them in class. That would suck.

Colfax grumbled and patted his hair back down; but this time he left it a little tousled, since he figured Sawyer would just mess it up again. But Sawyer was almost right. Colfax hadn't seen very many movies, and some of them he'd only seen snippets. "I've seen good movies," he countered, though he did sound a little unsure. His knowledge of what humans considered “good” was just about nonexistent. "I saw most of 'Dead Poet's Society' and part of some movie about a guy stuck on an island with a volleyball." He suggested those ones only because the students in that class had been particularly focused on the films.

Sawyer raised an eyebrow skeptically; just as he had expected, Colfax hadn’t even seen a movie in its entirety before. There was no way the little guy could even tell good movies from bad with that kind of scattered experience, and Sawyer was pretty sure he knew it. “Well, we’re going to have to fix that,” he said, mind already buzzing with classics that nobody, not even little people, should have to go without seeing. The list was extensive. “At the very least you’re going to have to watch the rest of Cast Away.” Not to mention if Colfax watched the movies here it would probably be a loads better experience than sneaking a peek at them from some hiding spot in a classroom. Even Sawyer’s phone would work as a decent-sized television for the little guy.

The look on Sawyer's face made Colfax raise his eyebrows faintly in surprise. He looked like he was rather eager for the prospect of showing Colfax more movies. The thought that Sawyer was still technically keeping him prisoner clashed a little with that. The very last thing he'd have expected to do with a human captor was sit and _watch movies_ with them. "Okay," he answered a little hesitantly. There wasn't much else he could say to the suggestion. Even if he _wasn't_ really curious about how those movies ended, Sawyer would probably play them anyway, and with as large as human televisions were, he'd have to watch it. "I hope you're not into those musical movies," he quipped. He'd seen a clip from one, and that was _quite_ enough for one lifetime.

“Nah,” Sawyer replied to that, making a face. “I’m more of an action-adventure type guy.” He’d watched a decent amount of musicals before, but really only because Charlie liked them a lot and always wanted somebody to watch them with. Left to his own devices it was mostly a lot of explosions and one-liners. The classics especially: Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars… Sawyer certainly had his work cut out for him if he wanted to introduce Colfax to everything he considered vitally important. The little guy had hardly seen anything at all. “Believe me, we’ll watch some good movies later,” he promised cheerfully. “No musicals.”

Action-adventure movies didn't often show up in the classroom lineup, since they didn't often offer much to what the professors were teaching. Colfax remembered hearing the occasional loud action movie back when he lived with his parents, but he'd never ventured close enough to actually see what was happening. The noise alone had been enough to keep any viri at bay. He'd have to ask Sawyer to be conservative on the volume, especially if Colfax was going to be in the same room as the speakers producing all of that sound.

"I'll try to contain my excitement," Colfax muttered nonchalantly. He was intrigued by the idea of seeing these films Sawyer was so excited about, but there was no way he'd come out and actually _say_ it. Besides, he recognized an opportunity when he saw one. If he could get Sawyer engrossed in some movie, Colfax might be able to slip away and escape.

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun,” Sawyer cajoled. His face lit up with an idea. “We could watch one after lunch!” It was almost noon now, and Sawyer definitely wanted to eat something before embarking on a two-hour movie quest (or three, if they decided to watch Lord of the Rings). After that, however, he was all for watching something. After all, he didn’t have any more classes that day, and there was nothing else to do besides chat with Colfax. As interesting as that was, Sawyer had a feeling they were going to run out of conversation topics eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More conversation, and a surprise appearance from Charlie! :D Even when they're both human Charlie worries about Sawyer- perhaps more, because they see each other more often. 
> 
> P.S.- Don't worry, you'll meet viri!Adrian soon enough...


	7. Chapter 7

Standing up, Sawyer walked over to the fridge, opening it up and looking over their possibilities. “Anything in particular you want?” he asked Colfax, glancing over at the tiny person standing on the table. “Since you were so picky about the chex mix earlier.” Now that the little guy was talking, Sawyer was sure he had an opinion on the matter.

Colfax did perk up ever so slightly at the mention of lunch. He was a bit surprised that he'd have a say in what he ate. After all, in the opportunistic life of a viri, he couldn't exactly look over a ton of options and casually choose one. Even when he raided a vending machine, there weren't _that_ many nutritious options to choose from. Still, it was entirely foreign to think about asking for something directly. As the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers. At least there was one perk to being stuck here with Sawyer- the guy would make sure he didn't starve.

"Do you have grapes?" he asked, still a little hesitant and weirded out to be asking for anything from a human. "Or anything healthy. I haven't had fruit in a long time." Occasionally, a student would drop some, but Colfax hadn't had access to fresher fruit since he moved to the university buildings.

“Uh, yeah, I think I do,” Sawyer said, leaning down and opening up the fruit drawer. There was indeed a bag of grapes in there, and he pulled it out and set it on the counter. He almost said something teasing to Colfax about having all the choices in the world and choosing something healthy, but realized as he thought about it why that would be. Unlike humans, who always had a ton of choices, somebody like Colfax probably subsided almost solely off of snacks leftover in the university building. After so much of that, Sawyer would probably be craving actual, fresh food as well. So he kept his mouth shut as he pulled off a few grapes and rinsed them in the sink, drying them off on a paper towel before placing one in front of Colfax. “There you go,” he said, popping the other ones in his mouth before putting the bag back in the fridge.

The sight of a full bag of grapes was enough to remind Colfax that he was pretty hungry. He hadn't had that much of the chex before, and since then he'd endured even more of Sawyer's poking and grabbing antics. Still, he hesitated to pick up the grape that Sawyer set down for him. The fruit was almost as big as his head; he couldn't just throw it down like Sawyer could so casually eat more than one. Colfax didn't want to give the human any ammunition by eating with his hands, nibbling like a rodent.

"Could... could I have my bag back?" Colfax asked, averting his gaze. "Just so I can get something to cut this." He was fully prepared for Sawyer to refuse, considering his previous attempts at escape. But, at the very least, his question could illustrate that he wasn't just some animal, and in fact did use utensils to eat just like humans did.

“Huh?” said Sawyer, glancing over. His expression turned a bit sheepish as he realized the grape wasn’t exactly finger food for Colfax- it was about as big as the little guy’s head. He hadn’t even thought of that. Small wonder Colfax didn’t want to eat it with his hands. Nodding his agreement to Colfax’s request, Sawyer said, “Yeah, hang on one sec.”

Digging the small bag out of the pocket he had tucked it away in, Sawyer set it gently on the counter. Opening it after a little bit of difficulty, and lamenting the fact that the size of his fingers made this task oddly hard, he rummaged through the things in there for a bit until he found what he wanted. Pulling out the safety pin and rope he put that back in his pocket, leaving the rest of Colfax’s supplies in the bag. He placed the small satchel on the table near Colfax with a small smile.

The viri frowned and bristled as Sawyer took it upon himself to sift around his bag. He supposed he ought to have expected Sawyer to take away his grappling line, but he probably would have given it up himself if only to avoid having those giant hands messing with all his stuff. He rolled his eyes as the bag was set near him, unable to hide a smirk. "You keep underestimating me," he pointed out. To explain, he crouched by his bag and retrieved the extra safety pin and string that he had actually just retrieved that morning. In seconds, he had tied a secure knot and made a brand new grappling line, letting it clatter pointedly to the table. It wasn't as sturdy as the one Sawyer had taken, but he thought it got the message across quite clearly. If Sawyer hadn't been so on the ball about recapturing him, Colfax would have kept those spare supplies a secret; but they'd have been confiscated eventually.

"Thanks anyway," Colfax added, then dug into his bag for what he was really after. It was a very dull fragment of what looked to be the blade of a pencil sharpener, wrapped with plastic on one side to act as a handle. It would barely scratch Colfax anymore, but it worked just fine for portioning out food. As he sat down in front of the grape and started to cut a manageable slice out of it, he couldn't help the smug look that settled on his face.

Sawyer gaped at him, picking up the newly created grappling line and looking at it incredulously. Colfax had just thrown it together in seconds, as naturally as if it had been one tool in the first place. “Alright, this is coming back with me,” Sawyer said, confiscating the bag once again. Obviously he would have to give it a much more thorough looking-through later before permanently returning it to Colfax. The little guy was just a little too creative, apparently even the smallest scraps of things could be useful to him.

Sawyer returned to the fridge and pulled out more things, throwing together a sandwich before putting everything back. Plate in hand he returned to the table, watching Colfax cut the grape with interest. He had never thought of one grape being a lot of food, but with how much it was in comparison to Colfax it could serve as a few day’s worth of food for the little guy, at least. The sandwich he was eating could probably last him for months, if it didn’t go bad. It was just crazy for Sawyer to think about.

Colfax felt quite successful when he glanced up and saw the impressed look on Sawyer's face. He had been unable to resist showing off a little, especially with the way Sawyer seemed to act like he was so helpless. And his quick work building the new climbing hook was nothing. He thought about his friend Adrian, and how he was always looking for interesting new ways to build things. Some of his improvised devices were beyond impressive.

The grape was as good as he remembered them being. Colfax cut out a few wedges of the fruit, savoring the simple flavor. He paid attention to avoid getting any of the juice on himself, though he couldn't really avoid getting it on his hands. At least his face was clean. He had his fill and set the fruit aside after barely eating a quarter of it. His task had kept him preoccupied enough to not mind that Sawyer was eating too, though now as he tried to shake his hands dry he found he couldn't look up at the human.

"Don't lose any of my stuff. Some of that is really hard to come by," he groused, thinking of the scraps of wire and the ball bearing he had stashed away. He knew where his knife was, but specialized stuff like that didn't come along every day.

Sawyer rolled his eyes, thinking that most of the stuff he had seen in the bag could be found on the mess that was his desk. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to lose any of your stuff,” he promised. It was in his jacket pocket, so he had as much of a chance of losing it as anything else he put in there. Which, he supposed, included Colfax on occasion.

“Is that bag all you have?” he asked, a bit curious. As somebody who always had a home of some sort to keep all his stuff in, he couldn’t imagine just living out of a bag. Not to mention Colfax’s “stuff” had seemed to mainly consist of bits and pieces of other things, like the safety pins and the ball bearings. Sawyer hadn’t really seen anything… personal, or sentimental. Everything was simply very practical. It was a little bit sad, really.

Colfax raised an eyebrow, as if Sawyer's question was strange or out of place. "Yeah, most of it," he answered simply. The only other thing he'd claimed was a lost mitten, which of course remained stashed away in the walls of the university building. At night, when there was no one around and the heaters were off, it was the only thing that kept him from freezing. "What else would I need?" he asked. He didn't see the need to keep anything other than what he used to survive. Stuff like that just weighed him down when he had to move. He'd always been a little too restless to linger in one spot for too long. And, being able to pick up and go meant he was able to catch more lectures and try to learn something.

“I don’t know,” Sawyer said, still sounding a little distressed about it. “Like, personal things? Things you like? Keepsakes? You don’t have anything like that?” He couldn’t imagine living such a bare life, especially when Colfax seemed so terribly… alone. Living secretly in the university, out of sight and unknown by everybody, with nothing more to your life than just surviving; it sounded absolutely awful to Sawyer. The human himself was such a social person, and by no means unmaterialistic, that the concept was simply foreign in nature. How could anybody live like that, even if they were only six inches tall? “I mean,” Sawyer continued, pausing for a moment as he wondered if this was going to be the question that Colfax refused to answer, “don’t you have things passed down from your parents? Aren’t there other people like you?”

Personal things? Colfax was perplexed. He had known plenty of viri to keep little trinkets and things just because they liked them. He didn't put much thought into it himself. But Sawyer seemed really bothered by it. Colfax had never really gotten along well with others; the sarcasm and attitude that amused the human so much had effectively pushed away most of his own kind. Colfax hadn't really thought about how discouraging a thought that actually was.

"There's no one like me," Colfax answered a little too forcefully. "At least. Not that I know of," he appended, hoping his lingering confusion would help to sell his lie. "I'm alone. As for what I like... I _like_ learning new things. That's not really something I have to carry around with me." He finally looked up, quite surprised to see what almost looked like pity in Sawyer's eyes.

To be honest, Sawyer was rather surprised that Colfax had answered his question, and so readily too; it was part of why he believed the little guy. If there were other little people and Colfax was trying to hide them, then Sawyer figured he probably would have been a lot more hesitant about answering such a query. Still, Sawyer almost wished the answer had been different, because his heart nearly broke to hear Colfax admit he was alone.

“Learning’s all well and good,” Sawyer said softly, “but aren’t you awful lonely?” He supposed that while students filled the building such a life wouldn’t seem so bad, especially if Colfax felt like he could learn things; but once the students left, the university buildings seemed enormous and empty even to a human. Sawyer couldn’t imagine the sense of isolation that could be felt by someone like Colfax. Not knowing if a single other person like you existed sounded so depressing, and Sawyer couldn’t help but pity the little guy.

Colfax didn't have much occasion to feel lonely. His solitary lifestyle was actually quite common among the viri, and it suited him well. He had never much enjoyed idle conversation. But, he supposed, sometimes even he missed seeing his family. He would send them messages whenever he could, but students seemed to misplace their phones less and less these days. "I don't know," he answered finally, thoroughly thrown off by Sawyer's line of questioning. "Sometimes?" he added uncertainly. "But I don't have an abundance of options, so it doesn't matter." Indeed, it was either be lonely or get captured.

“I suppose not,” Sawyer conceded, though he still felt saddened by the whole idea. He didn’t fail to notice that his questions were throwing Colfax’s usually confident nature into disarray. It would seem that the little guy hadn’t really thought about his own loneliness before. Sawyer almost felt bad about bringing up. With sudden determination he stood up, picking up his empty plate off the table and the rest of Colfax’s grape. “Are you still hungry or are you good now?” he asked, eating the remainder of the grape. Sawyer wasn’t one to waste food. “If you’re good we can start a movie. You need to see Indiana Jones, like, now.” If anything it would make Sawyer feel better.

Colfax tilted his head back as Sawyer rose, standing so ridiculously tall. " _That's_ what Indiana Jones is," he said aloud, a moment of recognition on his face. He had heard Sawyer mention it earlier. So it was a movie after all. Colfax stood, glad that the conversation had so abruptly shifted away from his own apparent loneliness. "I'm... full," he said, frowning slightly before he said the word. It wasn't often that a viri got to say that. But, there was a comfortable heavy feeling in his stomach that could be nothing else. He pondered that while he stood there, waiting for Sawyer to retrieve him as he knew he would.

There was a bit of a laugh from Sawyer at Colfax’s exclamation. “Alright,” he said, not commenting on the little guy’s apparent confusion at his pop culture references. “If you’re hungry later too just let me know, we can get more food.” With that he scooped Colfax up off the table, carrying him with both hands into the living room. He hardly weighed a thing, and not for the first time (not for the last, either) Sawyer felt a thrill at the tangible proof that Colfax actually existed.

In the living room he knelt next to the TV and the shelf of DVDs, realizing that he would need two hands to get the movie started. He didn’t exactly want to set Colfax down somewhere, though- if the little guy had proved anything to him, it was that he was creative when it came to getting around. Improvising, he took Colfax in one hand and set him on his shoulder, in between the edge of his hoodie and his neck. It felt odd to have something there, and Colfax’s slight movements almost tickled, but Sawyer refrained from laughing so as to not make the little guy fall. “Just chill there for a sec,” he told Colfax, lowering his voice a little so he wouldn’t deafen the poor guy. “I need both hands.”

Colfax gasped as soon as Sawyer whisked him into the air, even though he'd expected it. Every move Sawyer made was just so much _faster_ than Colfax was used to. He shifted to get his bearings again, staring with some awe at the sheer size of the TV. It was a lot more impressive than the out of date models they kept at the university building. He might have commented on it, but any words died in his throat when he found himself deposited quickly on Sawyer's shoulder.

To avoid slipping, Colfax gripped the edge of the hood in surprise and scrambled up so that he sat more securely next to the human's neck. Since it was right there, Colfax slapped the back of his hand on Sawyer's jaw moodily. "Thanks for the warning," he grumbled. But soon he had to get both his hands on the hood again, as every little move Sawyer made felt like it might throw him to the ground. It was a point of view that he'd never thought he would have. Even kneeling, Sawyer was so much taller than Colfax. There was a part of him that looked forward to seeing what the room looked like from his full height, and another part that warned how dangerous that would be without his climbing gear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of lunch, as well as some more conversation, is had- and then, of course, Sawyer decides a movie is in order. :D In case you hadn't noticed, he's definitely obsessed with Indiana Jones. It's great.


	8. Chapter 8

Sawyer chuckled at that, stifling the urge to reach up and itch where Colfax’s movements were tickling his shoulder. Even the little guy’s quiet grumbling was loud and clear thanks to Colfax’s proximity to his ear. Quickly finding _Raiders of the Lost Arc_ amongst the selection of DVDs, Sawyer pulled out the first one and opened it, turning on the DVD player and sliding it in. Standing, he turned on the television, grabbing the remote and waiting for the menu to load. A sudden thought struck him and he turned to look at Colfax, realizing halfway through the motion that that was probably impossible and turning back to the television. “You probably want the volume down, huh?” he asked the person sitting on his shoulder, thinking that Colfax’s ears, like the rest of him, were likely more delicate than Sawyer’s.

Colfax wasn't even looking at the TV when Sawyer's voice rattled through him. Even with his voice lowered, Sawyer produced a lot of noise. Colfax looked forward once more from his glances around the room, blinking at the huge, bright TV. "Yes," he answered simply, admittedly a little pleased that Sawyer had thought of it without being asked. "I doubt any movie is worth going deaf." Even so, he flinched when the first preview started, startled by the initial blast of sound before Sawyer turned the volume down. "With the volume that high normally, I'm surprised _you_ haven't gone deaf," he remarked, his voice a little tight from the jolt.

Sawyer just smiled, though he had felt a little bad when Colfax flinched against him. “That’s what Charlie tells me too,” he said. Sawyer usually ignored that, however- action movies were meant to be loud. If circumstances didn’t demand otherwise, Sawyer probably would have kept the volume as it was. With that done he grabbed the DVD remote off the coffee table and sat down on the couch, being slightly more careful with the motion than he normally would have been. It felt odd to have Colfax up there, and as soon as Sawyer was settled he reached up and took him back down again. “So you’ve really never seen a movie all the way through before?” Sawyer asked him, holding the little guy in one hand and navigating the DVD menu with the remote in the other.

Colfax turned to watch as the screen responded to Sawyer's button presses on the remote. It was a routine he'd seen many times before, but definitely not from such an angle. "No," he answered quietly, unsure if that was something he'd get teased about. From what he'd learned so far, it was likely. "Class blocks aren't long enough to show the whole thing." That, and the fact that sitting still for the length of an entire movie could get him caught, had prevented Colfax from seeing a movie from start to finish in one go before. He was actually almost looking forward to it.

“Well then this is gonna be a treat. It’s a great movie, one of the classics. Definitely better than anything you’ve seen in classes,” Sawyer said cheerfully. He started the movie and sat back against the couch, setting the remote beside him and bringing his other hand to cup around Colfax and give the little guy a larger base. He crossed his legs and rested his arms against his knees, effectively holding Colfax above his lap. “Can you see okay?” he asked Colfax, looking down at him. Sawyer thought it was a pretty decent arrangement- comfortable enough, and he could keep tabs on the movie and Colfax at the same time.

"I'll take your word for it," Colfax mumbled, though he was soon preoccupied with not falling out of Sawyer's hand while the human got himself comfortable. Colfax braced his hands on the human's thumbs until all was settled. He glanced over his shoulder with an almost smirk. "'Can I see?' How could I miss a screen that size?" he answered.

He turned forward again, hiding his disappointment that Sawyer hadn't put him down. Colfax knew from experience that trying to escape directly from Sawyer's hands didn't work. Still, he settled in, tolerating the arrangement as the movie began. He was admittedly drawn in pretty quickly, but excused himself with the thought that he'd never had a chance like this. " _This_ is what you study?" he asked incredulously. But he quieted down when the character on the screen had to flee a gigantic boulder. "What an impractical trap," he muttered, though a small part of him was still pretty fascinated with the whole thing.

“It’s what I thought I was going to study,” Sawyer replied, thinking how the adventure on the screen looked absolutely nothing like the thick textbooks his current major actually involved. “Real archaeology is nothing like this, though.”

He was rather amused by Colfax’s little comments on the movie; they were pretty different from most people’s, mostly because Colfax’s own experiences were so different. Simply the fact that this was his first time watching Indiana Jones showed how pop-culturally illiterate the little guy was. No surprise, considering, but it was funny to listen to all the same. Sawyer occasionally glanced down at the little person in his hands, noting with some amusement that Colfax seemed thoroughly enraptured by what was on the screen. He should have thought of this earlier, it made the little guy much more manageable.

Much like conversation with Sawyer, the movie kept switching back and forth between intriguing and unsettling. Colfax was aware that movies were fake, but the fact that humans _enjoyed_ some of this stuff was a little bit baffling. As the movie progressed, he kept tabs on some of the more implausible things, things that he was positive couldn't be possible. He also learned that humans considered acrobatics and stunts to be very impressive, while they were entirely mundane to a viri. The man jumping over gaps and swinging around on a whip were child's play.

"Do you... I mean, do humans _really_ blow things up and burn buildings down just to make movies?" Colfax asked, sounding both skeptical and mildly concerned at the same time. Since he'd mostly only seen dramas, he hadn't quite expected there to be so much _fire._ And the only other time he'd seen such images were on news clips, which were very real and not so entertaining to the humans watching.

Sawyer laughed aloud at that, shaking slightly from trying to hold it in. “Sometimes,” he admitted, “Though usually those are just done with special effects, or on sets where everything is built just for that purpose. Usually they aren’t even full buildings if they’re getting blown up.” He smiled down at Colfax, finding it hilarious how seriously the little guy was taking everything. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t seen movies before, but that he really didn’t know all that much about human beings. Watching him react to everything was turning out to be more entertaining than the movie itself.

Colfax frowned and tensed up as Sawyer's laughter shook even his hands. His face reddened slightly and he looked away, avoiding Sawyer's amused grin. Even though he couldn't have known any of that, it was embarrassing for his ignorance to be that obvious now. Still, the information was mildly interesting. He was glad that the moviemakers hadn't selected random buildings to destroy, possibly snuffing out any viri that lived there in secret. Colfax fell silent for a little while, watching more of the movie and hoping Sawyer would forget his question.

"How did some teacher learn to do all of those stunts?" he asked when the movie drew closer to the end. "I have to do that just to get around, but he never had any call to learn that. Is that all adventure is, just willingly jumping into trouble when you have the choice to avoid it?" His voice was fairly neutral as the rhetorical question came out; but Colfax was still a little curious, and he glanced back at Sawyer to see if he had anything to say on the matter.

“Well, I don’t know how Indiana learned all those stunts, but I know I just started practicing,” said Sawyer. At Colfax’s glance he looked down at him and explained. “I really wanted to be an adventurer when I was little- jumping over fiery pits, saving people, fighting evil guys, the whole bit.” He grinned, thinking about the imaginary adventures he used to drag his brother into. “But there aren’t exactly a ton of fiery pits around to practice on, you know? So I just started jumping off of things. Broke my arm that way, and my mom told me off more than once. Eventually I started getting smart about it, looked up some actual parkour videos, and really started improving.” Sawyer looked pretty proud about it, too- it was actually quite a talent of his and, though not an immediately useful skill, was something cool to tell people anyways. “I’m part of the extreme sports club on campus now, we do lots of free climbing and stunts like that. I think I could probably give Indy a run for his money.”

"Parkour?" Colfax echoed quietly. Had he heard the term before? He supposed it was something he could have overheard some students talking about, if there was apparently a whole club dedicated to it. "So you do all that... just for fun," he mused, sounding less incredulous and more fascinated. Knowing how to climb and jump were vital to him, but they were entertainment to a human. The disparity was strange and disheartening at the same time.

"Maybe you'll have to give me some pointers sometime," he replied cheekily, fairly confident that he had far more practice behind him than Sawyer did. Indeed, he already saw a suitable route to the floor that he could take without any tools, and without the sure fact that Sawyer would grab him before he took a step. He was at least relieved that he hadn't begun to slack off on knowing his exit routes.

Sawyer simply smirked at that. “Something tells me you don’t need any,” he commented, thinking back to what he had already seen Colfax do. The little guy had practically climbed out of a jar in mere moments, and jumped what would be a few feet, comparatively speaking, when he leapt out of Sawyer’s hands. He hadn’t hesitated, not once, and such things seemed natural to him. Sawyer was almost jealous.

Sawyer glanced back up at the screen and saw that they had been missing some of the climax- the film was quickly ending. “Here, let’s watch the movie,” he suggested in a bit of a whisper. “This is one of the best parts.” Really the whole movie was the best part in Sawyer’s mind, but this especially was one of the best best parts.

Colfax turned back to the screen to watch the climax of the movie. He cringed slightly as the villains met rather gruesome ends, but didn't comment on it. He knew that it was just effects, and he could even tell where fakes were used in place of the actual people. But it was still a bit brutal. He stayed silent even as the movie transitioned into what was obviously the wrap-up. He could tell by Sawyer's stillness that the human was also fixed on the ending of the movie.

Later, as the credits began to roll, Colfax sighed pensively. He'd just sat through an entire film for the first time, and he'd actually kind of enjoyed the experience. It was weird, being able to sit and watch something without worrying about being caught (even though it was only because he was _already_ caught). He would have preferred not to have to sit in Sawyer's hands, but he knew that arguing about it would probably just get him poked again. "It was... interesting, I guess," he determined. "Weird. But interesting."

“I’ll take that as a good thing,” Sawyer said. Standing up he put Colfax on his shoulder once again and stretched his arms up above his head, humming slightly. Movies always made him feel a little sleepy. “We’ll have to watch the other two later sometime,” he continued as he shut off the TV and started putting the DVD back. “The second one is even weirder, honestly, but the third one is really good. It’s got Sean Connery in it.” Although, he realized as soon as he said it that Colfax probably didn’t have the faintest idea who Sean Connery was. Oh well.

He paused for a moment in putting the DVD case away, and said, “I mean, we could watch them now if you wanted. There’s not really anything else to do.” Well, there was homework, but screw that. Sawyer would much rather watch Indiana Jones with his miniature film buddy than do any of his actual work.

Colfax didn't bother asking who Sean Connery was. If Sawyer's enthusiasm for these movies was any indication, he imagined he'd see eventually. He shook his head, once again berating himself for assuming he wouldn't somehow escape first. It wasn't lost on him that Sawyer seemed a little bit calmer now. "I... I guess I would watch another," he admitted cautiously. He was surprised that the fact that a second and third movie even existed had caught his interest so quickly.

"Can I sit on the couch instead this time?" he asked a little tentatively. All snarky banter aside, Sawyer was still clearly the one in charge of where Colfax went. He couldn't even look Sawyer in the eye to ask, since he was perched so carefully on the man's shoulder. But, if Sawyer got as enraptured by the second film as the first, slipping away would be so _easy._ "So I can stretch my legs," he added, trying to make the request sound more casual.

“Hmm?” Sawyer said, thinking it through. He hadn’t thought about it, but he supposed that as cool as it was for him to hold Colfax all the time, it probably wasn’t that comfortable for Colfax himself. “Sure,” he agreed. Colfax could sit close to him, still within sight and reach. It would be fine. Eager now, he got the second movie and turned the TV back on again, chatting with Colfax excitedly. “This one’s everybody’s least favorite, but I don’t know. As a kid I liked it a lot. There’s lots of weird things to do with sacrifices and Nazis and stuff.” A thought hit him and after a slight pause he asked, “Uh, do you know what Nazis are?” If he had to explain a brief history of World War II to Colfax before they began the movie, it might take some of the fun out of binge-watching films instead of doing schoolwork.

Colfax raised his eyebrows as Sawyer chatted away at him. His voice still shook through Colfax's chest, since its source was so close to him where he sat. At least he was trying to keep his voice down for the sake of the viri's sensitive ears. For a moment, he didn't recognize that he'd been asked a direct question, but when the words filtered into his brain, he replied quickly. "I think so." His idea of them was vague at best, but he had managed to stay awake through a few world history lessons before. "I know enough that they shouldn't be any more confusing than the rest of the movie."

“Alright then,” said Sawyer, pleased with the response. He took Colfax off his shoulder and sat on the couch again, before gently depositing Colfax onto the cushion next to him. They were sitting less than a foot from each other, and Colfax was still in Sawyer’s peripheral vision, so the human thought the arrangement was just fine. With that settled he picked up the remote and started the second movie cheerfully, wondering what Colfax would think of this one. The little guy seemed to enjoy the last one, at least somewhat, and Sawyer was sure having fun watching them all again with him. This was turning out to be one of the better days he’d had in a while.

Once on the couch cushion, Colfax shifted his feet experimentally. He barely sank into the soft material, but it felt like he would lose his balance if he weren’t careful. He inched up to the edge of the cushion, careful not to slide over the side, and sat with his legs dangling over the edge. He kept his gaze fixed on the huge screen as the movie started up.

He let himself fall into watching this one intently for a while. He hadn't disliked the other one, and it was nice being able to sit there on his own. But he knew he couldn't stay. Slowly, surreptitiously, Colfax glanced over his shoulder to check on Sawyer. The human's eyes were glued to the action on the screen. It was now or never.

Colfax moved silently, with no abrupt motions, and slid himself right over the side of the cushion, turning his body so he could grasp the pattern of the fabric in his hands. He climbed down quickly, jumping when he was just a few inches from the floor. Unfortunately, the couch didn't have anywhere good underneath it to hide. Colfax's heart was pounding, and he was glad that the movie had reached an intense scene to keep Sawyer's attention while Colfax ran along the base of the couch. He remembered seeing that there was a small vent on the wall near the kitchen doorway. He just had to get around the couch to reach it.

Sawyer’s eyes were focused on the screen as the action continued, thinking along with the lines occasionally. He adored this part. It lasted a few minutes before the small climax subsided into a simple chase scene and some witty banter. Sawyer grinned and leaned back, glancing down at Colfax to see his reaction to it. His grin vanished as he realized the little guy wasn’t there. Glancing around wildly, Sawyer looked for him, but Colfax was nowhere to be seen.

“Colfax?” he called, his tone slightly warning and slightly worried. Looking down at the floor carefully he stood up, trying to find the little guy. Obviously he was trying another one of his dangerous escape attempts, but Sawyer didn’t want to accidentally step on him or something equally horrible in his haste to find him. “Colfax!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movie time! :D But of course Colfax isn't going to stop trying to get away. I suppose you'll have to wait until next time to figure out if he actually makes it or not. ;D


	9. Chapter 9

He was nearly there. Sawyer's voice sent Colfax's heart into overdrive, and he sprinted towards the vent. It put him out in the open for several agonizing seconds, and he knew it was very likely that Sawyer would notice him- but he got to the vent before he heard any sounds of recognition from the human. The only problem was that the small lever that controlled the angle of the vents was pushed all the way closed. He couldn't squeeze in. Colfax swore and went to the metal lever, hauling on it with all his strength, but it wouldn't budge.

The wave of adrenaline that came with panic didn't offer him enough of a boost. The lever shifted infinitesimally with a metallic squeak, and Colfax whipped his gaze around to track Sawyer's progress. Seeing the tall human at his full height from this angle spurred Colfax to run towards the kitchen archway. He thought that maybe, _maybe,_ he could get to the fridge and duck behind it.

“Colfax!” Sawyer all but yelped, spotting the little guy running full tilt towards the kitchen. Scrambling up and over the couch Sawyer gave chase, covering the distance easily. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the room, lunging down and forward at Colfax. He managed to snatch the little guy just as Colfax was about to disappear under the fridge, dragging him back and up. Standing up with the would-be-escapee in his hands once more Sawyer leaned against the wall, breathing heavily from the sudden and unexpected exertion.

Looking down at the little person he just sighed and started back into the living room. Flopping back onto the couch he kept Colfax cupped in his hands, not held in place by anything, but rather as if the little guy were sitting in a high-rimmed bowl- one that was rather irritated at him for running off and was ready to keep him from doing it again. “Aw, look, you made us miss the best part,” Sawyer complained. It was meant to be a little teasing, but came out more annoyed than anything else.

Colfax winced as he was whipped backwards abruptly. Sawyer's brisk steps back to the couch and the abrupt motion of sitting down made Colfax's head rattle. It took him a few seconds to reorient himself, and even then his heart was still racing from residual adrenaline. Being able to feel Sawyer's pounding footsteps coming right for him had been _terrifying._ Now, he observed, Sawyer was close to trapping him in his hands like the first time he'd ever captured him.

Colfax flinched despite himself at the tone in Sawyer's voice. He turned a glare towards the human, though his eyes were still a little wide. He'd been so close! Now the human would probably never put him down. "Good catch," he muttered resentfully, before turning back towards the TV screen. His shoulders remained tense, with Sawyer's hands surrounding him like they did.

“Yeah,” Sawyer shortly replied, fuming a little himself. Part of it was because he was conflicted, more now than ever, about whether or not he should just let Colfax go. It was so selfish of him to be keeping the little guy captive, when obviously despite whatever progress they may have made, all Colfax wanted was to leave. Not to mention that Colfax actually had told Sawyer quite a lot about himself- if Sawyer were honest, that would have been more than enough to keep his end of the deal proposed earlier.

Colfax’s life just sounded so lonely though, and Sawyer was still so reluctant to give him up. Colfax was the most exciting, fantastical thing to ever happen to Sawyer, and the adventure seeker inside of him didn’t want to have to return to normal life; especially since he would probably never see the little guy again. It was a tough decision, and one that Sawyer hadn’t been able to make yet.

Colfax wasn't sorry for trying to escape. He was practically obligated. But sitting there with Sawyer's irritation hanging like a physical weight overhead was nerve-wracking and... a little disappointing. Other than the grabbiness, the guy was not a complete terror. As strange as it seemed, his actions all came out of some kind of care for the viri's well being.

"That was about as fun as falling out a window," Colfax finally said, still trying to appear calm despite the tension in his shoulders. He turned to look at Sawyer, regarding him intently and keeping his gaze despite the clear irritation there. "I'm confused," he admitted. "Why are _you_ angry?"

“Well… because…” Sawyer sputtered, unable to find a response before heaving a sigh and falling silent. He couldn’t meet Colfax’s gaze, and he leaned his head back on the top of the couch and stared up at the ceiling instead. Why _was_ he so angry? He couldn’t tell if he was upset with Colfax, or upset with himself. Perhaps it was a bit of both. “You just keep trying to leave,” he eventually muttered. “And I don’t want you to.” It was that simple, and therefore so was his decision, but he didn’t have to be happy about it.

“You know what,” he said, irritable and fully knowing that he was acting like a child. “Fine. You want to go, you can go.” He leaned down and all but dumped Colfax onto the floor, before withdrawing back onto the couch. Tucking in his legs he wrapped his arms around his knees, not looking down at Colfax. “See if I care.”

 _What?_ was the only thought Colfax could muster as he sat up. He stared up at Sawyer, thoroughly perplexed. After that heart-stopping chase, Sawyer just let him go like that? Colfax couldn't read the look on the human's face from his angle. A large part of him barked that he should _run_ , before Sawyer changed his mind, and never look back. But, another part of him was pretty damn intrigued and wanted to know why this had just happened. And, at this point, he wasn't keeping that many secrets from the guy. The only part of the Code that Colfax kept intact was not revealing other viri.

That movie was still going on in the background. Muttering about how distracting it was, Colfax walked up to the couch and began the climb up. He made it in due time, finding that Sawyer was still quite content to ignore him and pout. So, Colfax strode up to the TV remote and stomped his foot down on the power button. The silence fell over the room like a cloud, mixing in with the broody attitude that Sawyer exhibited. Colfax studied the human with his arms crossed, waiting with a neutral expression for Sawyer to look his way. Colfax had no idea what he planned to say or ask; and he had no idea what to do in the face of such perplexing emotions, whatever they might be. But he did know that he didn't want to just leave it at that, not after everything he'd already endured.

Silence fell and Sawyer glanced down at the remote, surprised to see Colfax standing next to it with his arms crossed. Dang, the little guy could really climb. “What?” he demanded, though it came out as more morose than mean. “Aren’t you going to leave?” Unfolding his legs, he put his feet on the coffee table. He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew Colfax’s bag and grappling lines, tossing them towards Colfax with a sullen flick of the wrist. They landed a couple of inches away from the little guy, the two safety pins clattering together. The top of the bag came undone and a couple of things spilled out, the ball bearing rolling over and stopping at Colfax’s foot. “There’s your bag,” Sawyer added, and turned away again. Crossing his arms childishly he leaned back against the couch, staring at the now-blank TV. “You can go. Nothing’s stopping you.”

Colfax considered it an accomplishment that he didn't stumble when Sawyer shifted on the couch, and didn't flinch when his bag was thrown at him. He huffed and rolled his eyes before stooping to gather his things and shove them back into the bag before they were lost in the couch cushions. He straightened again, somehow put at ease to have the familiar weight of his bag on his shoulder.

"You are confusing," Colfax pointed out, watching Sawyer's face carefully. Colfax's own limited range of emotion was making it hard to imagine what the man was thinking. "You talk to me almost like an equal, even when I'm... abrasive." He'd heard that word and a few less kind ones to describe his usual attitude. "But you also claim the right to decide where I go. I _don't understand_." He tilted his head. "Wouldn't you try to escape someone who treated you like some kind of... unruly pet?" The question held no traces of accusation, but rather plenty of the confusion that he'd assured Sawyer he was feeling.

“I… Yes!... No?... I don’t know.” Sawyer groaned and shook his head, covering his face with a hand. He sighed and removed his hand, looking down at Colfax without malice but with a whole other mess of emotions fighting for expression. “ _You’re_ confusing,” he emphasized. “You shouldn’t even _exist_ , but you do, and I was just curious, and you wouldn’t talk, and I just…” He paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He’d been making a mess of things all day, and he wanted to stop, thank you very much.

In a lower, more controlled voice he looked at Colfax and said, “I never meant to treat you like a… pet. I was really confused at first and then later, I guess, I was just trying to make up for it and went about it all wrong. I reacted in ways that weren’t right, that were mean, and I… I’m _sorry_ Colfax.” He said it earnestly, and in the eyes that looked at Colfax there was only remorse and the faintest trace of pleading. Sawyer had liked talking to Colfax, had really been enjoying himself, but had also done some really hurtful things in the process. He knew this, and he was certain Colfax knew it, so he couldn’t figure out why the little guy was still standing there. Since they first met all Colfax had wanted to do was leave, and now that Sawyer wasn’t stopping him he was just standing there. It made no sense.

Colfax frowned faintly as he stared up at the human's face. He almost considered just turning and leaving the whole mess behind him, confusion be damned. But Sawyer's earnest expression held his attention for a while longer. This time, the apology was offered not as a consolation but as a request for forgiveness. Colfax shifted his feet, so incredibly unprepared for this. Sure, he had wanted the human to recognize that the way he acted was unfair, but now that he actually _did,_ Colfax didn't know how to respond.

Talking to people was dreadfully difficult.

"Apology, ah, accepted," he finally relented. With the tense conversation taking a better turn, he realized just how worn out he'd gotten himself in the last several minutes. Colfax sank to a seated position, hardly able to believe he wasn't fleeing yet. But he was still so intrigued, and it would be dishonest if he said he didn't appreciate Sawyer's coming clean. "Never thought I'd hear _that_ from a human," he commented with a shake of his head. At least, now that Sawyer had given him his bag back and wasn't actively holding him back, Colfax didn't feel so bad about lingering. If nothing else, he might learn something.

“Well, you haven’t ever actually met one before, have you?” Sawyer said softly. He was still staring at Colfax, a bit dazed from the rollercoaster of a sparring match they’d just had. He would never have expected Colfax to actually accept his apology, not after what he had put the guy through. Honestly Sawyer felt he deserved a lot worse. Colfax was sitting down now, however, and didn’t look like he was about to leave. Sawyer had no idea what was going on, but he at least knew it was better than what had been going on before.

Sawyer slouched back against the couch with a small sigh, realizing his heart had been pounding during the entire ordeal. “So,” he eventually said, looking over at Colfax, “ _are_ you going to leave?” He paused for a moment before adding, rather sheepishly, “I can give you a ride back to the school building if you want. It… it’s really the least I can do to make up for everything.”

Sawyer's quiet remark stopped Colfax's train of thought suddenly. He couldn't argue. Obviously he had never met a human before. But it still felt a little strange, to have his own quick assumptions called out so mildly. So when Sawyer's offer came out, Colfax looked back up at him almost appraisingly. It seemed like he really would follow through on it. Colfax could go back to his normal routine, and pretend that this had never happened.

But it _had_ , and Colfax had gotten bare glimpses of the potential things he could learn. It had been a long time since he'd entertained his own thirst for knowledge, considering his limited access. "Perhaps later," he answered, shrugging as if the issue didn't concern him much, now that he had a choice in the matter. Putting off a decision like that wasn't particularly wise, but Colfax reasoned that he wasn't exactly breaking the Code any further than he'd already done. "The race to the fridge wore me out," he quipped, an eyebrow raising slightly.

“Right,” Sawyer replied, the corner of his mouth quirking upward in a smirk. “I’m sure it did.” It had worn Sawyer out, and he’d only leapt over a couch and across the room. Colfax had pretty much run across an entire football field in comparison. Sawyer was also fairly certain that Colfax was still trying to make his own decision, lingering until he could get his own thoughts in order. The human could certainly understand.

Glancing back to the TV, which showed a blank screen thanks to Colfax turning the DVD player off, Sawyer said, “Well, in that case… want to finish the rest of the movie?” He turned to Colfax, wondering what his response would be. Sawyer was almost hoping that Colfax would say yes- it would mean that they could go back to a somewhat normal atmosphere, though “normal” was an odd concept on its own, considering the two of them.

Colfax turned to eye the blank TV screen thoughtfully. In truth, he felt like the action in the movie would look a little... tame compared to his most recent escape attempt. No doubt Sawyer would notice it too. But, what the hell. The bold hero of the movies was growing on him despite how improbable his adventures seemed. The viri nodded and shifted so he was facing the screen, propping himself up on his hands. "I missed a lot of it," he admitted. As soon as he'd made his bid for freedom, the movie had become background noise, something that distracted Sawyer while Colfax slipped away.

“That’s okay,” Sawyer said, smiling slightly as he reached over to pick up the remote. Part of him wished he had been watching when Colfax used it earlier- that would surely have been a sight to see. Turning the DVD player back on, the screen shone to life, and he said, “We can rewind to whatever you last remember.” Obviously Sawyer didn’t mind watching things over again, as he’d seen the whole movie numerous times before. Even better, he didn’t have to look after Colfax now- the little guy was there because he wanted to be, not because he had to be. It still kind of blew Sawyer’s mind how quickly and chaotically that had shifted. They were actually watching the movie together at equals; something that Sawyer hadn’t known he wanted, but found to be exactly what they needed.

Colfax watched silently as the screen flickered backwards through the film, his brow pinched as he tried to recognize something. It was strange to watch regardless, with everything happening in reverse and very quickly. "There," he said suddenly, pointing at the TV when he saw something he remembered. They may have gone a little too far back, but it probably couldn't hurt to recap some things. "I still don't think a whip would be nearly as effective as a simple grappling hook," he added as the action resumed. "At least that wouldn't slip."

Colfax glanced over at Sawyer, remembering that the human had mentioned learning some of these tricks. "Do you swing around on a whip?" He sounded a little skeptical, as if he didn't believe any human could actually manage it.

Sawyer chuckled at that, still amused by the caliber of Colfax’s commentary. “No, not a whip,” he answered, “Though I am pretty good at ropes courses. I’m with you though, I think a grappling hook would be better, but that’s a little more James Bond than Indiana Jones.” He glanced down at Colfax, remembering once again that his references were probably not being understood. God, he was going to have to write it on his hand or something: “Don’t use pop culture references with a six-inch-tall guy who doesn’t get them, you idiot.”

He didn’t say that aloud, however, opting instead to simply tell Colfax, “We’ll have to watch those movies as well sometimes. Or, well, some of them. There’re a lot now.” He didn’t like Bond as much as Indiana Jones, but they were still full of action and awesome, so he liked them quite a bit regardless.

Colfax waited patiently for Sawyer to confirm that James Bond was another movie character. In context, at least, he got it. Just another action movie character. His stunts were probably beyond belief too. "I have a feeling there's not an end to the movies you want to watch," Colfax answered, glancing pointedly over at Sawyer's DVD rack, which didn't have a single unoccupied slot. He also suspected that most of them, if not all, were action films like the two Colfax had encountered so far.

"It's interesting that you like these stunts so much." As someone who learned how to swing on a rope and climb just about anything from an early age, it was almost gratifying to see just how impressive humans thought such a skill was. "I suppose I can see how 'Indy' is something of a role model, though he jumps into danger pretty quickly."

“You overthink things too much,” Sawyer said with a grin, reaching over and gently nudging Colfax’s shoulder. “Just watch the cheesy action movie and enjoy it, huh?” Obviously Colfax wasn’t used to watching movies without analyzing them- though Sawyer supposed that was a reasonable side effect of only ever having seen movies shown in college classes. Sawyer was certain that Colfax would eventually get the hang of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, that was quite the chase- and quite the talk. :0 At least they're a little better now; or at least Sawyer has moved past keeping Colfax as his prisoner. XD I swear he doesn't mean to be mean. He's just dumb and immature sometimes.


	10. Chapter 10

They finished the second movie without any more spats, though there was the occasional banter whenever one of them commented on a scene, and by the time they were done it was already time for dinner. “God, I’m starving,” Sawyer said, standing up and stretching. “I should text Charlie too, I meant to do that earlier.” He turned around and automatically reached for Colfax, before actually thinking things through and hesitating. Colfax’s words about him controlling where the little guy went came back to him and immediately caused some confusion. “Uh,” he started, sounding very unsure of himself. “Do you… do you want a ride to the kitchen, or do you want to get there on your own?”

When Sawyer's hand came his way once again, Colfax braced himself to be grabbed up. His hands even went to the strap of his bag, ready to hold it in place when he was lifted off the couch. He looked to the human's face when the approaching hand hesitated. Colfax didn't outwardly show it, but he was quite pleased that Sawyer thought to ask him this time. "It makes more sense to get a ride there," he replied. As much as he would love to walk there on his own, Sawyer's strides were far too wide to keep up with, and Colfax was hungry too. He might as well take advantage of a quicker route. It was enough that Sawyer recognized that Colfax _could_ do it on his own.

“Alright,” Sawyer said, relaxing a bit with the answer. More cautiously now he scooped Colfax up off the couch, making sure not to trap the little guy in his grip but rather leave him cupped in his hands as he walked into the kitchen. Once there, he deposited Colfax carefully on the kitchen table before going and turning on the lights in the room. Evening had grown into dusk, and the sky outside the windows was quickly darkening.

Colfax pursed his lips as Sawyer scooped him up, holding back any complaints about the quick action. Sure, the human had been careful, but it was still quite abrupt and he wasn't certain he'd ever get used to it. But, he had volunteered, so he didn't have much room to call Sawyer out on his handling. Once back on solid ground, he adjusted his bag and watched Sawyer bustle around the room.

Remembering what he was supposed to be doing, Sawyer got his phone and sent a quick text off to Charlie, which basically consisted of “feeling better – thanks for coming over”. Once that was done he began opening and closing doors around the kitchen, searching for a suitable dinner option. He didn’t usually put that much effort into meals, and was okay with that, but he still felt a little embarrassed as he asked Colfax, “Is microwave rice okay with you?” Colfax wasn’t exactly a guest he supposed, but he was enough of one that Sawyer couldn’t help but wonder if he should actually make something.

"Microwave rice, huh?" Colfax asked, tilting his head. He missed Sawyer's sheepishness as he thought about it. Back when he lived in a human household with his parents, those humans had made rice all the time; but warm foods like that always got packed up and stored in the fridge, making them quite off-limits to a viri. He certainly never saw it in the university building. "I'll try it," he answered with a nod. He had heard it was quite filling, and he was interested in finding out whether that was true.

“Sweet,” Sawyer said, nodding once. Taking a package of ready rice out of the pantry, he tore open the top and stuck it in the microwave, shutting the door and letting it spin around as the older machine groaned loudly about it. He went to get a glass for water and realized that he didn’t have anything to put water in for Colfax. Turning to look at the smaller man he pointed to the bag slung across his shoulders and asked, “Do you have a cup your size somewhere in there?” If Colfax didn’t, then they were just going to have to improvise. Sawyer was already thinking about getting the little guy a saucer or something for the rice, though even that would probably be laughably big next to Colfax. They would have to make do, however, because Sawyer didn’t think he had anything better on hand.

"Hmm," Colfax intoned by way of responding. He opened up his bag and rummaged through it, moving things aside carefully. At the bottom, in the corner, he found what he was looking for and fished it out. It almost looked like it was made to be a mug for someone his size, minus the handle. It was the plastic cap from the foot of a tripod, and one of his better finds in the university building. Somewhere there was a tripod stand that wobbled a little, but Colfax had a container that worked as a cup, even if the plastic was a little thick.

It wasn't lost on him that something like this, this piece of plastic he never went anywhere without, would be tossed in the garbage without a second thought if a human found it. His motion was a bit hesitant as he held it out for Sawyer to take, and he expected to be teased for carrying such strange things around with him. "Don't lose it," he warned preemptively, thinking of how the thing would all but disappear if Sawyer took it between two fingers.

“I won’t,” Sawyer promised, giving Colfax a strange look. The little guy seemed so nervous, as if he was giving the thing away rather than just handing it over. Sawyer took it carefully and looked it over- it was just a small piece of black plastic, probably meant to be a cap or cover for something. “Huh,” he muttered to himself, moving towards the sink. “Neat.” Holding the little cup carefully he filled it with water, holding it balanced rather precariously between two fingers and trying not to spill it as he walked the couple steps back to the table. He set it down near Colfax just as the microwave dinged and stopped making such a ruckus.

Turning that way, Sawyer removed the packet of rice, now steaming and hot, from the microwave. He tore the top off fully and a cloud of steam rose from the bag, dissipating into the air about half a foot up. Rummaging around in the drawers for a bit, he emerged with a small saucer (where he had acquired such a thing he couldn’t remember- maybe Charlie had brought it over once and left it here?) and a fork. Doling out a small portion of the hot rice onto the saucer he set the makeshift plate near Colfax, next to whom it appeared to be more like a table. “Sorry, I don’t think I have any utensils your size,” he apologized, sticking the fork in his mouth and carrying the bag of rice back to the table. He sat down and started eating, not bothering to transfer the rice to any kind of plate for himself.

Colfax smirked at the pile of rice that Sawyer had portioned aside for him. It was quite a lot, though he supposed it would be more of a challenge than it was worth for Sawyer to divide out a serving that would make more sense. Colfax sat cross-legged and pulled the saucer towards himself. He held a hand over the rice, feeling the heat still wafting off of the warm food. _Warm food._ It was a nice thought.

Colfax didn't have a small fork of his own, either. Even doll's forks didn't work very efficiently for viri unless they were very finely crafted. That was simply too tough to come by. "I don't have any either," he said in reply a few seconds later. But, he retrieved his knife, the dull broken razor that he'd used to cut the grape earlier, from his bag. He poked the end into one grain of rice and began to eat, rather intrigued by the very simple flavor. After a few grains of rice he took a drink of his water. "I've seen many students come in with boxes of rice from the Chinese restaurant near the campus. They never leave it unattended long enough to take any."

“It must be hard to find food unattended around there,” Sawyer commented, his brow slightly furrowed as he thought about it. He knew that college students weren’t one to waste whatever food they had with them in class, or leave it alone for very long- usually out of apprehension that somebody else would eat it. It would suck to have to rely on such fickle sources just to get food. Sawyer struggled to even get up the motivation to go to the grocery store. “I mean,” he continued, rather concerned now that he was thinking through it all, “aren’t there times when you just don’t find any? What do you do then?” Colfax could obviously subside off of very little food, in comparison to humans especially, but all the same. When there was nothing around, there was nothing around; and though the university building wasn’t the cleanest, Sawyer knew they _did_ clean it.

Colfax shrugged. "If I can't find anything, I wait until everyone is gone for the day and then I get something from the vending machine," he answered nonchalantly. It was a relatively normal practice for him, and considering it was the only stationary food source, he was quite good at the whole process. The only part that was difficult at all was getting the door open from the inside. Even that was fairly routine.

"I take from the back so they don't notice for a while," he clarified, glancing up. He was admittedly a little curious about what Sawyer would think of it.

Sawyer just grinned. “That’s great,” he said, thoroughly in approval of the idea. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about that, it makes total sense. I mean, they’re right there and nobody really cares.” The more he thought about it, the better it seemed. Not to mention hilarious, thinking about all the students that probably got blamed as a group for stuff going missing when really it was just Colfax. But who would suspect a little person in the walls to be stealing food? Nobody. Nobody at all. The plan was practically foolproof. “Dude, you’re a little thief!” Sawyer all but exclaimed, bumping Colfax’s shoulder with his finger (and a wide smile). “That’s so legit.”

Colfax was about to protest, to point out that it could hardly be considered stealing to take things that no one missed anyway. He swayed as Sawyer nudged him, and looked up to gripe about it; but Sawyer's smile stopped him in his tracks. It was a look that was less aimed at making fun of him, and more out of actual approval for his methods. "I guess so," he admitted. "But no one misses anything anyway. What's a bag of chips now and then?" More accurately, every few nights. But he didn't need to clarify that. "I just wish they had a little more variety," he mused. Most of the options couldn't exactly be called healthy. The ones that were healthy always ran out first because of the health-minded students.

“Yeah, you mostly live on junk food, huh?” Sawyer made a face at that. He liked snacks as much as the next guy, but _only_ being able to eat potato chips for a week had to suck. No wonder Colfax was being picky about the snacks earlier, they were basically all he had anyways. “Well, you won’t have to worry about that anymore,” he mumbled around a mouthful of rice. He didn’t meet Colfax’s eyes as he said, “I mean, if you stay. My food’s all yours, whatever you want.” He didn’t have the greatest selection himself, and he couldn’t cook worth a damn, but it had to be better than vending machine snacks and leftover crumbs from students. Just about anything would be better than that.

Colfax raised his eyebrows. The offer wasn't exactly unexpected. After all, Sawyer had been planning on keeping him there anyway. But it still felt pretty generous to allow someone you barely knew into your home so freely. "I'll think about it," he answered. Just the thought of having a better lineup of food was appealing. However, Colfax had gotten by on his own for so long. It wasn't beyond imagination to live in a human apartment rather than a class building- but to have the human resident also know about him because he was the one that _invited him in_ was hard to wrap his head around. He covered his silence by eating a few more bites of rice. "You don't mind inviting a 'thief' into your home?" he asked with a smirk after a pause.

At that Sawyer scoffed, all but snorting into his bag of rice. “You couldn’t carry anything I actually care about, much less steal it,” he pointed out matter-of-factly. Needless to say, he wasn’t worried. Especially since, if events earlier that day had proven anything, it was that Sawyer had a lot of power where Colfax was concerned. He was being good and not using it, of course, but he still couldn’t see thieving as being much of an issue. “Besides,” Sawyer said, “I think it might be fun to have a roommate. I haven’t done that since Charlie and I roomed together last year, it’s been weird living on my own. Thief or not you could still be good company.” He grinned at Colfax. “And you don’t take up much space either.”

Colfax actually looked a little startled at mention of the word “roommate”, dropped so casually into the conversation. Aside from being a viri code word for humans, it carried some heavy implications. He was definitely getting into some pretty deep infractions against the Code, becoming this familiar with a human that had captured him. Sure, he mostly had his autonomy back, but if he stuck around, it would only take one slip to cause a disaster. Someone else could come in and see Colfax, or Colfax could slip up and reveal that there were more of his kind out there.

"Maybe." He couldn't believe the word that came out of his mouth despite his roiling thoughts. "I'm used to living alone," he added uncertainly, a little thrown by how casually generous Sawyer was being. The fact remained that Colfax just didn't get along with others very well, regardless of what was normal for viri.

“Right,” Sawyer said quickly. He could tell that the little guy was a bit taken aback by his casual enthusiasm, like most people were. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate Colfax even more, however, so he made an attempt to tone it back a little. “Obviously it’s your choice, and I completely understand if you don’t want to, uh, stick around.” They both understood that a little too plainly. “Just, y’know, if you do…” He shrugged, the universal signal for “it’s really not a big deal”. “The door’s always open. Though, I guess that doesn’t matter so much for you, does it? Not that I meant it literally in the first place. Anyways, whatever the saying is supposed to mean still stands.” Sawyer shook his head, a bit confused by his own sentence formations. “Uh, yeah. Whatever. You can do whatever you want is the point I’m trying to make, I guess.”

Colfax paused, catching up with Sawyer's runaway rambling. He understood, and nodded once to show he got it. Then, after a slight pause, he gave the human an amused look. "Easy for you to say," he teased. He idly brushed off his knife to clean it before stowing it away once more. After drinking back the last of his water, he put away his cup, too. The things he'd heard about rice being very filling were true; he'd only had a few grains of it and he didn't need anymore. After leaning back to prop himself up on his hands, he added, "Good thing you're sitting down or you might have tripped over yourself just now."

Sawyer made a face at him. “Oh, shut up,” he retorted, and poked Colfax in retaliation. Sometimes sentences ran away from him a bit, but he always made sense in the end; or so he thought. “It is easy for me to say. I just said it, didn’t I?” With that, he finished his rice and stood up, putting the empty bag in the trash and tossing his fork in the sink. After making sure Colfax was done he picked up the little guy’s saucer, setting it down in the sink as well. He stared at the dirty dishes for a while (of which there were decidedly more than just those two) before deciding to do nothing about it. “Ready for the third movie?” he asked Colfax eagerly, grinning at the prospect.

Colfax sighed and rolled his eyes as he recovered from getting poked yet again. At least he was seated, so he didn't stumble. He watched patiently as Sawyer regarded his rather impressive stack of dirty dishes, wondering if the human was going to give in and clean them up. After all the terror and excitement, combined with having two full meals in a single day, Colfax felt fairly relaxed. So when Sawyer turned and suggested yet another movie, Colfax was jolted out of his idle thoughts a little.

"Just how many of these movies are there? Isn't he going to run out of ridiculous stunts?" he asked. Even so, he stood up, waiting for Sawyer to transition them into the living room once more. Despite his comments on the movies, they weren't so bad.

“Nope!” Sawyer said cheerfully, giving Colfax a winning smile. “Never.” With that he picked up Colfax and returned to the living room, setting the little guy down on the couch before going to get the movie started. “All stunts aside though, there aren’t all that many movies. Four, technically, but the first three are still the only ones that exist in my mind so that’s all we’re watching.” He gave Colfax a smile and returned to carefully sit down next to him on the couch. Sawyer had never sat so gently on furniture before- usually he would just flop into his seat, but if he did that with Colfax there he might send the little guy two feet up in the air by accident. Still grinning a little bit at that particular thought, Sawyer turned to Colfax and added, “This is one of the better movies, it might be my favorite. I think you’re going to like it.”

Colfax gave Sawyer an odd look, trying to work out what he meant about the fourth movie. But, the point was apparently moot, since Sawyer didn't have it anyway. After the human sat down, Colfax glanced at his feet, glad that the slight motion of the cushion hadn't knocked him down. "I'll take your word for it," he answered absently while he moved toward the back of the couch. He settled down so that he was sitting up against it with his legs stretched out in front of him. It was probably the most comfortable place he'd ever been.

He watched the movie as critically as he'd watched the other two. "I see reckless behavior runs in the family," he pointed out. But, admittedly, Sawyer was right. Colfax enjoyed this one more than the others. Colfax watched so intently that he actually relaxed some, despite the fact that a human loomed so near. All of the exertion from the day finally caught up to him, and despite his instincts wanting to stay alert, Colfax fell asleep sitting there against the back of the couch. His head tilted slightly to the side and the tension lingering in his body language fell away.

About three quarters of the way through the movie Sawyer realized that Colfax hadn’t made a single snarky comment recently. He glanced over at him, his expression of confusion melting to something softer as he saw that the little guy had fallen asleep. Sawyer stared at him and smiled, amazed that Colfax had actually let his guard down enough to do so. The little guy looked so peaceful there; Sawyer hadn’t realized just how tense Colfax had been the whole time until seeing him like this, all of his features softened as he remained oblivious to the world. Honestly, it was adorable.

Sawyer left him there for the rest of the movie, if only to give himself some time to think. If Colfax woke up then he could ask the little guy what he wanted to do, but he didn’t want to wake him up if he didn’t have to. That meant Colfax was staying the night, and Sawyer had to find some place to put him. Eventually the movie ended and, moving as quietly and carefully as he could, Sawyer stood up and turned everything off. In the silence that followed he padded around the house, turning off the light in the kitchen and disappearing into his bedroom for a bit. In there he took an extra pillow from his bed, more than large enough for Colfax to lie on, and set it on his nightstand. He felt like the floor would be too dangerous for the little guy, and the pillow was indented enough in the middle that Colfax wouldn’t have a chance of falling off. That done, he returned to the living room and scooped up Colfax as gently as he could, hoping he wouldn’t wake him up.

He shouldn’t have worried. The little guy was passed out, all but dead to the world. It was odd for Sawyer to hold him in his hands without Colfax being all tense and worried about it; he liked it. Walking back into the bedroom, Sawyer carefully deposited Colfax onto the pillow, before fetching a soft, clean shirt from his closet and laying it over him as a kind of blanket. With one last glance at the adorable sight of a tiny person sleeping under his shirt, Sawyer got ready for bed himself and slid under his own blankets. He fell asleep thinking about how absolutely incredible the day had turned out to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dinner and a movie. :D They're really acting like roommates now. It looks like Colfax is going to have to catch up on a bit of the last move though... ^^
> 
> Next up is Adrian and Charlie's first meeting! :D


	11. Chapter 11

Adrian woke slowly, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head. His blue eyes opened and he almost forgot where he was; it was only his second morning in this new apartment. He could still feel the buzzing excitement of being in a new place, completely on his own. And, it seemed like no viri had lived in these walls before, so he had a blank canvas to build upon. That alone brought a thrill to his thoughts. He could imagine a hundred different ways to build a home there already. He didn't even know where all of the potential entrances to the walls could be yet.

Most viri had to learn at least basic building skills, but Adrian absolutely excelled in it. Back where he grew up, he'd made all of their pulley systems in the walls, and had constructed all kinds of tools for himself, his mother, and her brother and sisters. Now, he was living on his own and looking forward to having a place to build from scratch. He got up from his bed, which still only consisted of a folded piece of cloth, and started getting ready to go and explore.

His new human “roommate” had books _everywhere._ Adrian envied that a little. But, he also figured that meant the human – Charlie, he was pretty sure – would probably be in his own world reading most of the time. It was perfect. He'd already figured out where some of the basic supplies could be found and stored away some food. Today, he was going to look for building materials so he could think about how to build himself a house of his very own. He made sure he had all of his gear, including a length of yarn tied to a paper clip bent into the shape of a grappling hook, as well as a half-length pencil with a similar hook fixed to the writing end. And then, with a faint smile, Adrian set out to explore.

Charlie had already been awake for a short while that morning, and was currently sitting at his small kitchen table with his morning cup of tea and a slim novel. He didn’t have classes until the afternoon on these days, and relished being able to relax throughout the mornings. The peace and quiet in his little apartment was near perfect, the silence not stifling but welcoming. He loved it.

Charlie was a quiet person by nature, not antisocial per se but certainly introverted. Which is why most people found it strange that his best friend on campus was Sawyer, potentially the most extroverted and exuberant person he had ever met, but somehow they got along better together than with anybody else. They lent each other balance- Sawyer keeping Charlie from becoming a hermit in a cave of books and Charlie keeping Sawyer from dying as he tried to pull off something ridiculous and dangerous.

Placing a bookmark in the novel, Charlie set it on the table, before standing up and moving to the cupboard. Opening the door he grabbed a box of tea biscuits, but not before looking at the contents of the cupboard for a few seconds longer than usual. He had the strangest sense that things inside were slightly… off. Nothing looked out of place, but- had he left that package slightly open like that? He was almost certain he hadn’t. Charlie was quite organized, and liked everything to be neat. Frowning slightly he closed the package better and, tea biscuits in hand, closed the cupboard door again. It was probably nothing. He returned to the kitchen table and his novel, immersed in the story once again as soon as he opened the book.

Adrian was making some slow progress, considering he didn't have any stairs or pulleys to use yet; but it didn't dampen his optimism. He made his way towards the entrance into the hall closet, being the most central access he had to the rest of the apartment. It wasn't large by human standards, of course, but to Adrian, who was a bit small even for a viri, the apartment was quite vast. He had a lot of ground to cover.

Whenever he had to cross a narrow support beam, Adrian kept his balance by holding his pencil at a careful perpendicular. He never worried about it slipping out of his hands, thanks to the thin strips of fabric he always had wrapped around his hands as makeshift climbing gloves. They left his fingers free for dexterous movement, but his palms were never going to slip.

Adrian slipped out of the wall, closing his entrance behind him seamlessly. The hall closet was impeccably organized, as was the rest of the place. He went to the door, which had quite a gap beneath it, and slipped into the hall. He waited and listened, holding his pencil close to his chest. In the kitchen, there was the faint sound of a page turning, and of someone much larger than him shifting in a towering chair. _Perfect._ That meant the desk in the bedroom was unattended. Adrian crept along the wall, thinking he might grab a few supplies while he had the opportunity. After that he'd have to see about finding some wall entrances in there. The excitement of a new place couldn't override the trepidation that came with being out in the open for too long.

The desk had more books on it, of course, and some stacked on the floor around it. Adrian walked around these to walk under the desk, eyeing the lamp cord. He debated for a moment on whether he should climb that and try to squeeze through the space between the wall and the desk, or step out in the open and use his grappling hook. He took his time considering the options, feeling safe in the knowledge that Charlie was absorbed in a book.

Charlie finished a chapter and glanced up at the clock, checking the time. He wondered if Sawyer was awake yet- he couldn’t remember when his friend had classes on these days. Sawyer had worried him yesterday, and despite having gotten a text last evening with the assurance that he was feeling much better, Charlie was still feeling some lingering concern. It was one thing for Sawyer to skip class because he was ill, but when Charlie had gone to check on him Sawyer had been acting decidedly strange. He wouldn’t even let Charlie in the house. With a small sigh Charlie drank a sip of tea and decided that tomorrow, at the latest, he would talk to Sawyer in person and make sure everything was alright.

Standing up, he returned the box of tea biscuits to the cupboard and took his teacup over to the empty sink. Retrieving the soap from the cabinet space underneath he washed the china, humming softly to himself as he did so. Within minutes the small cup and saucer were dried and put away, leaving the sink clear of dirty dishes once more. Picking up his book from where it rested on the table, he moved into the living room and some more comfortable seating, settling himself into an armchair before opening the novel once more.

Adrian paused and turned his head towards the door. The faintest tremors in the floor told him that the human was on the move. But, the quivering didn't increase at all, so he relaxed. He resumed taking aim and throwing his grappling hook upwards to the edge of the desk. The precisely shaped wire caught fast, and with a tug on the yarn Adrian assured himself that it would hold. He climbed quickly, making it to the surface of the desk in moments. Once there, he paused.

Things were organized. _Really_ organized. It looked like nothing was out of place. Adrian thought for a second that, if he had a desk like this, he would organize everything just as meticulously. It was a little worrying. But, the stack of books nearby helped put him at ease. Surely he could take a few things without alerting such a bookworm to his existence. He grabbed a few paper clips from a short, wire mesh cup, one that matched the rest of the desk set in its neat, practical design. This one only came up to his shins, but the pencil-holder was just taller than he was.

Something caught his attention atop the pile of books. Adrian walked over and set his paper clips down for a moment. Using the books as a ladder, he hoisted himself up to grab the edge of a slip of paper, most likely some abandoned, temporary bookmark. Charlie probably wouldn't miss it. But, Adrian's foot slipped and he stumbled backwards onto the desk, stepping on his collected paper clips by accident. They clinked and clattered demurely, but he still winced as he regained his footing. The bookmark fluttered right over the side of the desk to the floor below. With a huff, Adrian paused to stow the clips in his bag, and then made his way to the edge of the desk to make his way back to the floor. His pencil bumped his shoulders from its holster on his back while he walked, as if reminding him that Charlie would _definitely_ notice the paper on the floor.

Normally while Charlie was reading, nothing could distract him; but in the pure silence that pervaded the apartment, even the tiniest sound that broke it was immediately noticeable. He looked up from his book as the faint sound of metallic clattering met his ears. It was barely a noise, but he had lived in the apartment for long enough to know which were sounds natural to the house and which weren’t- this was one of the latter. Even odder, it had been coming from his bedroom at the back. Curiosity piqued slightly, though reason told him it was probably nothing, Charlie slipped a bookmark into his novel. Placing it on the coffee table, he stood up and walked towards the bedroom, not sure what he was expecting to find.

What he found was nothing out of the ordinary, but simply something out of order. Charlie frowned as he reached down and picked the slip of paper up off the floor, examining it curiously. It was just a scrap of lined paper, an improvised bookmark he had been using before with one of the books on the desk. So how had it gotten to the floor? Charlie glanced over at the window, but it was thoroughly closed, and he couldn’t feel a draft. For the life of him he couldn’t imagine what the slight clanking had been either- there was nothing around, on the desk or on the floor, that could have made such a sound.

Charlie wasn’t a terribly superstitious person by nature, but he still felt that something out of the ordinary was going on. Sawyer would make fun of him for it he knew, but he couldn’t shake the intuition that something – or somebody – had been putting things slightly out of order around the place.

Beneath the desk, Adrian took deep breaths. That had been _close_. He had nearly lost his grip on his rope on the way to the floor. He'd barely had time to retrieve it before Charlie entered the room, and even then, he'd had to run for cover, dragging it behind him. He only barely got his grappling hook out of sight when the human knelt to pick up the scrap of paper that Adrian had dropped. He might have slapped himself if he wasn't suddenly aware of how good Charlie's hearing was.

Maybe this apartment wasn't a very safe option after all. Adrian's blue eyes were fixed on Charlie's shoes as the human stood there, thinking about who knew what. The books next to the desk were in the way of any exits to the side, and as it was, Adrian was barely hidden beneath the drawers on the side of the desk. If he tried to sneak to the other side, Charlie could look down at literally any second and spot him, clear as day. Adrian was rooted to the spot, effectively stuck until the human decided to leave the room.

That was when he noticed it, just within the shadow of his hiding place: one of the stupid paper clips that had tripped him up and caused so much trouble already. It must have fallen from his bag during his frantic run. Adrian grimaced and started to inch forward, aiming to pick it up before Charlie got a notion to investigate the floor any closer.

A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye caught Charlie’s attention, and he looked back down at the floor curiously. There was a stray paperclip down there, just in the shadow of the desk drawers. Maybe it had simply caught some of the light from the window, and therefore his eye as well; but why were all these little things on the floor in the first place? It was one thing for a piece of paper to flutter from afar, but Charlie hadn’t used any paper clips recently- and he had just vacuumed a few days earlier. Setting the scrap paper back atop the stack of books on the desk, Charlie knelt to the ground and sat back on his feet.

Curious, he reached out and took the paper clip, examining it in the light. Just a normal paper clip. Nothing more, nothing less. Charlie sighed slightly, thinking about how paranoid and crazy Sawyer would think he was to keep pursuing such ideas. It was probably nothing, little things fell all the time without being noticed. All the same, the paperclip didn’t particularly shine in the light. He didn’t think it could have caught his eye from the shadows. So what, then, had? Placing the paperclip back upon the desk Charlie leaned down and set his head against the floor, looking under the desk drawers to see if any answers (or any more paperclips) were to be had there.

Adrian straightened and went completely rigid when a huge _hand_ dropped into view right in front of him. If he'd been just a step forward, it would have brushed against him as it whisked away the paperclip. The very thought made him shiver like someone dropped ice along his spine. He wished he could kick himself for actually drawing _more_ attention to his hiding spot.

Then, suddenly, the floor trembled as Charlie shifted. Adrian backed up quickly in sheer surprise as the human's face fell into view. Just a matter of inches stood between Adrian and those curious eyes. He was pretty sure his breathing stopped as he backpedaled more quickly, until he bumped into the back leg of the desk. He glanced to either side, wondering which direction would be his best bet to flee. He had no idea about any escape routes in this room. On the other hand, his exit in the hall closet was so far away.

It didn't seem to matter anyway. Adrian's legs seemed to have given up for a moment, and he was rooted to the spot. He watched the human with a pounding heart, deferring the next move to him. No matter what, Adrian had to find a way to get away before those hands came any closer.

Charlie’s breath hitched at the sight of- well, what looked like a _little person_ underneath his desk. It had been close to him when he had looked underneath the drawers, so close Charlie’s vision almost went blurry, but it had quickly scurried away. It was standing up against the far leg of the desk, looking just as surprised and wide-eyed as Charlie was, though decidedly more frightened. Charlie couldn’t believe his eyes. If he hadn’t seen the little man move, he might have wondered if he was some kind of action figure. As it was, he was wondering if he was simply hallucinating; but no, there was really a little person there, looking as if it were about to bolt.

The impossibly tiny man was less than six inches tall, and seemed to be clutching some kind of homemade bag. It didn’t look empty, and with a bit of a gasp Charlie put two and two together. “You’re the one who pushed the paper to the floor, weren’t you?” he asked softly, keeping his voice down. The last thing he wanted to do was startle the fantastical being into fleeing. “You stole my paperclips!” It was less an accusation and more of an exclamation, if a quiet one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Adrian's first encounter! :D Count on Charlie to make a somewhat unexpected first impression. ^^;


	12. Chapter 12

Adrian's gaze flitted to his bag for just a second, but he quickly focused on the human again, his mouth agape. "I... I, um," he muttered weakly, before he closed his mouth resolutely. He was facing the scariest prospect in his life: discovery by a human. Even if he wanted to talk and spill out an explanation, his words wouldn't come.

He couldn't press himself any further back because of the pencil still strapped to him. He grabbed it and held it in front of his chest protectively, as if it would shield him. He started to inch to the side, thinking that maybe he could squeeze past the books there and make a mad dash for the hallway. It was just so nerve-wracking to have that surprised, curious gaze fixed on him.

Charlie’s eyes widened even more as he heard a quiet muttering. The little man could talk! The poor thing looked terrified too, and was holding what appeared to be part of a pencil in front of him as a kind of shield. Charlie wasn’t sure what that could possibly shield him from, but he wasn’t about to point that out to the poor dear.

As the little person began to slowly inch away Charlie softly, if urgently, said, “No, wait!” and held out his hand as if to stop him. The human realized about halfway through the motion that it might scare the little man more and quickly pulled his hand back, hiding it behind him. “Sorry,” he apologized in a whisper. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Please stay.”

Adrian's eyes squeezed shut when a hand began its approach. His skin was already crawling at the thought of that hand reaching him, _surrounding_ him. But he peeked his eyes open when he heard an apology slip out. The human wasn't reaching for him anymore. He asked Adrian to stay there. Adrian didn't know what that meant; if he tried to leave, would Charlie stop him?

"I-I'm... I have to..." Adrian tried to speak again, but his voice shook and petered out. Even with that mild expression and lowered voice, Charlie was just so _intimidating._ Adrian's knees were weak, and he sank to a seated position leaning against the leg of the desk. He still had his pencil clutched in front of him, though it was easier to see that his hands were shaking now. His instincts kept screaming at him to get up and run, but he just couldn't take his eyes off the face before him.

Charlie’s expression immediately slipped from fascination to concern. He had never been intimidating in his life- he was short, and slim, and was such an introvert that he sometimes worried his future students wouldn’t listen to him at all. Not many people did. So to have this little man practically quaking with fear because of him was a thoroughly new experience, and one that made Charlie quite worried. “Hey, hey, easy,” he said in as soft a whisper as he could muster. He gave the little man a distressed look, fretting over how he had seemed to collapse into a seated position. “It’s alright. Nothing’s going to happen to you. There’s no need to be so afraid.” Charlie chanced a small, soft smile at the little person, hoping it would help him to calm down. He looked so frightened and tiny, Charlie’s heart just went out to him.

Adrian ran a nervous hand back through his blond hair, more to do something with his shaking hands than to actually adjust his appearance. Sure, it was easy for Charlie to _say_ nothing would happen. But, there were also the many, many stories Adrian had heard about how dangerous humans were. How they'd capture a viri at the first opportunity for their own gain- and Adrian was all but captured now.

"A-are you... " He wanted to ask if Charlie was going to take him prisoner, lock him up for stealing. His mother had always warned him never to be seen, because that's exactly what would happen. Adrian got to his feet abruptly. He had to get away from that scrutiny before Charlie decided to drop the facade and grab him. He turned to the stack of books and ducked behind it, hoping that maybe he could get to the door before Charlie caught on to his plan.

Charlie had to strain to hear the stammered words, nervous as they were, and his brow furrowed slightly as the sentence abruptly ended. As the little person darted behind a stack of books Charlie sucked in a breath and sat up, nearly hitting his head in the process. He stayed seated on his knees, glancing towards the pile of books from a taller angle now. The small man wasn’t visible from here, but Charlie didn’t want to stand up to look for him. That would probably terrify the poor fellow.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Charlie softly proponed, trying to peer around the stack. “You don’t have to hide.” Reaching out he slid his hands carefully under the small pile of books, lifting them away while being extra careful not to knock any of them over. Managing them rather awkwardly Charlie peered over them and towards the floor, where he had seen the little person run before.

Adrian nearly jumped out of his skin when the stack of books next to him moved. He watched with some awe as the huge block of paper and cardboard and leather lifted away nearly effortlessly in Charlie's arms. He had thought of them as a permanent fixture in his haste, too heavy to bother with; but now Charlie had them, and Adrian was newly aware of how much damage a single dropped book could do. He backed up so that this time he was against the wall, his legs still deciding whether they wanted to bolt or collapse again.

In the back of his mind, Adrian wondered absently why Charlie hadn't just grabbed him already. Adrian was cowering and doing a terrible job of getting himself away. He regretted moving out so soon. He should have just waited until nighttime, or waited until he knew Charlie's routine better to ever try something like the desk. Now he'd put his entire species at risk. "Please, I'm... I'm sorry," he forced out. "I won't steal anything else. I-I thought you wouldn't miss these." As he spoke, he took the few paper clips he'd taken out of his back and dropped them on the floor. "I'll j-just go and never bother you again so you can forget this whole thing." He started to inch along the wall, slowly so as not to inspire any quick movements in the human sitting so near.

“Ah!” Charlie gasped, sucking in a quick, surprised intake of breath. His eyes grew wide and worried as he realized his intentions had been terribly misconstrued. He slowly set the stack of books down next to him, on the other side of the little person from himself, making sure not to make any quick movements. Doing so would probably just scare the little man into running. “No, I’m sorry,” he hastily apologized. “You aren’t in any trouble, I promise. I don’t mind that you took the paperclips. You can have them.” His expression was repentant and earnest- he hadn’t meant to accuse the little person of anything. He really wouldn’t have missed the paper clips; he probably wouldn’t have even noticed if one of them hadn’t been on the floor.

Charlie noticed the little person was inching along the wall, about ready to bolt, and his brain worked quickly to try to figure out some way to keep him from running off. He was sure that if the little man left, he would never see him, or anything else like him, ever again. “Please don’t go,” Charlie softly pleaded, looking down at him with a soft, beseeching expression. “I really don’t mind that you stole the paperclips. Can we just… just talk for a moment?” Charlie could still hardly believe that such an impossible thing was happening, but at the moment he was much more concerned with calming the little person down. The poor dear looked like he was about to die of fear, and the last thing Charlie wanted to be was the cause of such terror.

Adrian glanced to the side. The door was still so far away to him. He looked back up at Charlie, a little perplexed by the way he spoke. Like he was almost as nervous as Adrian was. But that wouldn't make any sense at all, with his considerable advantage over the viri. _It might be a trick,_ Adrian reminded himself. Humans were crafty enough for it.

But, trick or not, Adrian knew he could so easily be caught if he ran. He didn't have anywhere close by that he could use to get out of reach, or to duck into the walls safely. Charlie was looking right at him. He could get one of his hands on Adrian at any second, a thought which made him shudder and sink to the floor again. All the adrenaline and the butterflies in his stomach made it feel like he didn't even have bones in his legs. "T-talk about... what?" he asked uncertainly, his fingers drumming quickly on the side of his pencil, still clutched to his chest as if it might protect him.

“Er…” Charlie said quietly, humming slightly and looking a bit sheepish. He hadn’t really thought this far ahead- he was simply relieved that the little person hadn’t dashed off. “Well…” Charlie frowned as he tried to think of what to say.

“What are you” would be a terribly rude question, and he didn’t want to accuse the little person of any more theft. He had a feeling that the little man had only shown up around the house recently- Charlie hadn’t noticed anything odd before now, really. Still, he felt that if he asked where he had come from that would put the little person on edge as well, and he didn’t want to do that. Despite the fact that he was holding a conversation with a tiny person on his floor, Charlie couldn’t help but want to be nice and polite about everything. “Let’s start with a proper introduction,” he suggested, hoping this would go over well, or at least not badly. “I’m Charlie.”

Adrian's eyes widened. He was quite surprised by Charlie's choice of a conversation starter. Not that it was out of place, but that it was so appropriate for a first conversation. Adrian expected a hundred questions about why he was there, what he was, where he came from, how many more of him there were... not a “proper introduction”. Like he was an equal.

"I..." He almost stammered out that he knew Charlie's name already; but that could be a little unnerving. Instead, he took one shaky hand off the pencil, holding it up in a very slight wave before lowering it once more. "My name is Adrian," he answered, trying really hard to take the shaking from his voice.

At the little wave Charlie beamed, a soft smile lighting up his face as he returned the gesture. Oh gosh, this little person – Adrian, he now knew – was positively adorable when he wasn’t so frightened. “It’s nice to meet you, Adrian,” Charlie said, still keeping his voice quiet and soft. He was making some progress in calming Adrian down, and didn’t want to ruin all of that with a stray exclamation.

“So,” Charlie continued, hoping he wasn’t about to pry. He was terribly curious, however, and couldn’t help but let a bit of his interest have its way. “I suppose you’ve just moved in recently.” He thought it was a fair guess, as he’d only been noticing things slightly out of place for a couple of days- not to mention that if Adrian had been around longer, he might have known better than to trap himself behind a pile of books. With a slight, rather amused smile Charlie added, “That rather makes us neighbors.”

Adrian almost balked, the simple word throwing him into deeper confusion. _Neighbors._ Charlie just kept talking to him like he was talking to another human. "N-neighbors," Adrian muttered aloud, probably sounding as flustered as he must look. Adrian took a short breath, resolving that if Charlie was going to be so nice, he might as well try, too; even if it turned out to be a trick after all. "Y-yes, I guess that's right," he admitted.

Then, with slow, deliberate movements, Adrian shifted his grip on the pencil and planted the eraser end on the ground, using it to hoist himself to his feet again. He still had to lean on it for support, courtesy of his still-wound-up nerves, but at least he was standing. "I-I guess, I mean, for now. Because I shouldn't... I can't stay. I mean, this is your place and I wasn't invited. I... I came in without, um, permission." He cut his rambling short and looked away, a new trickle of intimidation running down his spine. His pale face reddened faintly as he thought about how livid his family would be with him, for speaking so much to a human. But, nerves made him ramble. He couldn't help that.

“Oh! That’s alright,” Charlie assured him, sounding rather flustered himself. “I don’t… I mean… you don’t have to ask permission. You can stay if you want.” Charlie flushed, thinking that maybe he was being too forward. Suddenly realizing that it might sound like he was trying to keep the little person here, though he obviously wanted to leave, Charlie quickly added, “B-but you can leave if you want! I’m not saying you have to stay. Just… just if you wanted to, I mean I wouldn’t mind, in fact I would… er, like to talk to you more.” He finished the flood of thoughts rather lamely, still red with embarrassment and not exactly meeting Adrian’s eyes.

He did have loads more questions he wanted to ask Adrian, but obviously now was not the time. Of course he would love it if the little person decided to stay- already the event was fantastical beyond belief. Charlie could never have believed something like Adrian existed, but now that he was sitting not a foot away from him- well, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to believe. Adrian was simply amazing to Charlie.

Adrian glanced up, once again surprised by Charlie's reactions to him. Everything he'd been taught growing up seemed so irrelevant right now. Charlie hadn't come close to snatching him up in an unforgiving grasp, or trapping him there. In fact, Charlie's nervousness seemed to rival Adrian's own. That by itself was encouraging in an odd way.

"I picked this place because I didn't think you would notice me," Adrian admitted suddenly, shifting his feet. It was still a bit unsettling to talk to someone so large, but he was certainly used to having to look up to talk to people anyway, even among viri. His friend Colfax was almost a full inch taller. Sure, Charlie had them all trumped by several feet, but the concept was still the same. "Y-you have so many books. I thought for sure that you'd..." He trailed off sheepishly, his eyes sliding over to the pile of books that had been moved. "That you'd be too preoccupied."

Charlie smiled softly, a bit of amusement and a smidge of pity making it in there. There were many people who had made the same assumption about him, that just because he was thoroughly immersed in a book meant he was oblivious to the world. He had his moments being distracted, sure, but he read so much that by now he could read under any circumstances and still keep most of his wits about him. Of course, this was the first time that such an assumption had landed somebody else in this much trouble.

“Sorry to surprise you,” he apologized. “It’s true, I’m often preoccupied with my books and my schoolwork… but I’m also quite organized.” He gave Adrian a blushingly apologetic expression. “I had a feeling earlier that somebody else had been messing with things in the cupboard, and then of course this happened. I think I would have realized you were here eventually regardless.” Still flushing, and hoping he wasn’t offending Adrian or anything, Charlie added, “Though, that’s not your fault. I’m sure you’re perfectly good at staying unnoticed when you want to be. I just am kind of, erm, neat.”

Adrian felt the embarrassed smile trying to creep onto his face. So Charlie had already noticed the food he took? He could have sworn he only took one piece, just enough to hold him over until he got a better routine. When Charlie said he was neat, he _meant_ it. Along with humans that kept pets, he was exactly the wrong kind of human for a viri to live near. Far too observant. That was Adrian's fault for his failed judgment, regardless of what Charlie said.

"I guess so," Adrian admitted. He could relate to that. What few things Adrian had so far were very organized. Back home, he'd kept all of his supplies in impeccable order in his room. He realized how weirded out he'd feel if he started to notice his things out of place. "Um. I'm sorry for putting things out of order." He chuckled faintly, a nervous sound. "I guess I should have paid more attention."

“It’s alright,” Charlie said, waving it off. “I don’t mind, not now that I know what was causing it. It was just the vague feeling earlier that was messing me up. I thought I might have been going crazy.” He looked down at Adrian and smiled slightly, thinking that he wasn’t necessarily certain otherwise yet. After all, he was having a conversation with a man who could probably fit in his palm- that wasn’t exactly the sanest thing to be doing. He was fairly sure that Adrian wasn’t a figment of his imagination, however, and thus didn’t overly concern himself about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Adrian's first meeting is quite different from Colfax and Sawyer's, huh? Well, knowing these two, it was bound to be. I don't think either of them has it in them to not get along with each other, regardless of species and circumstances. ^^


	13. Chapter 13

Tilting his head slightly to one side, Charlie looked down at Adrian curiously and asked, “Are… are you hungry, then? You couldn’t have taken much from the cupboard.” He sounded genuinely concerned about Adrian; despite the fact that the little man probably didn’t need all that much food to survive, especially in comparison to Charlie, the human couldn’t help but worry that the poor fellow was starving.

"What? Oh," Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, I didn't take _that_ much, no," he replied. Only one piece, he was sure. And he hadn't even finished the whole tea biscuit yet. If nothing else, they were very filling. He guessed that if he had taken any more, Charlie would have known beyond the shadow of doubt that something was amiss.

Before he could explain further, his own stomach chimed in with a protest of its own. Adrian's face reddened quickly. He had foregone breakfast before he left to get right to exploring. It was turning out to be an embarrassing choice. "W-well, I guess I could eat," he admitted. It felt strange for a moment, to be accepting such an offer from a human. But Charlie just seemed so nice; even though he was huge compared to Adrian, he didn't seem to have a malicious bone in his body.

Charlie smiled, both at the faint sound of Adrian’s stomach growling and in relief that the little person had accepted his offer. “Alright,” he said, “we can…” He paused, thinking this through. The kitchen wasn’t that far from the room they were in now, at least not from Charlie’s perspective- from Adrian’s, however, it was quite a trek.

Charlie certainly didn’t feel comfortable walking around with Adrian on the floor, or making the poor guy walk that far on his own. The only other way to get there then would be if Charlie carried Adrian himself or something, but he gathered that was probably an awful idea. There was no way the little person could feel comfortable with something like that- Charlie knew he wouldn’t. So there was really only one option left. “I’ll, er, bring some back here for you then,” Charlie offered, hoping Adrian would find that suitable. “Anything in particular you wish to eat?”

Adrian absently wrung his hands while thought about it, his pencil leaning in the crook of his arm. He didn't realize it yet, but he was standing on his own without feeling like his legs were jelly. "Um. Nothing's really coming to mind," he admitted. Asking for food directly was something he'd never had to do before. Usually he just ate what was available regardless of preference; but a thought struck him and brought a faint smile to his face before he could even say it out loud. "Something warm, I guess. I don't get warm food very often." He perked up a little at the thought.

“Warm food it is,” Charlie replied, returning Adrian’s smile with one of his own. He was so glad Adrian finally seemed to be calmed down, and not nearly as nervous around him. “I’ll be right back, okay?” With that Charlie shuffled back a bit, so as to give Adrian a more comfortable distance, and stood up. He looked down at Adrian, now so far below him, and quickly left the room. Charlie had never been the bigger or taller one before, and he found it quite uncomfortable, especially to such an extreme. He had felt as if he were _looming_ over Adrian. They were going to have to find some way to fix that particular inequity soon.

Adrian watched carefully as Charlie rose to his full height. From his position on the ground, he had to tilt his head way back just to keep his gaze on the human's face. The scale made him sway a little. Adrian absently wondered how his own height would look, if he were a human. It was a dizzying thought, and he dismissed it before his more curious side started crunching numbers. He stood completely still as Charlie left the room, unable to avoid feeling a flicker of intimidation. Thank God Charlie was so kind; Adrian would be powerless against him.

Once in the kitchen Charlie paused, thinking through what he had on hand. Warm food… and probably something Adrian could easily eat with his hands as well, considering Charlie didn’t have any utensils his size. Adrian might have some in his bag; but then again, he might not, and Charlie didn’t want to take that chance. So Charlie eventually stuck a plain scone in the microwave for a bit to warm it, while taking a small saucer and putting a bit of butter and jam on the edges for Adrian to dip the bread in should he want to. Once the microwave pinged, Charlie tore off about half of the now-hot scone and set it on the saucer, carrying the whole plate back to the bedroom.

With the human gone, Adrian glanced around. Somehow, accepting food like that made him feel more like a guest than anything else. Adrian had always been taught to be a polite, attentive guest; he didn't want to eat on the floor and look like a slob, especially if he got a crumb on the carpet. So, he quickly unraveled his rope and moved back towards the desk, less urgency in his movements than before. He didn't need to be sneaky when his secret was already out. His grappling hook caught easily, as always, and he made the climb with practiced movements, careful not to slip. He heaved himself over the edge of the desk just as he heard Charlie's footsteps returning down the hallway.

Charlie returned to the bedroom slowly, both to make sure he didn’t drop the saucer and to make sure he knew exactly where Adrian was. To his surprise Adrian wasn’t on the floor where he had left him; there were a couple of panicked seconds where Charlie looked all around the room for him, before eventually finding him on top of the desk. Admittedly a bit surprised to see him all the way up there, though he supposed he had been up there earlier to get the paperclips, Charlie breathed a small sigh of relief and made his way over. “You must be quite a fast climber,” he commented with a smile. He set the saucer down a couple of inches away from Adrian, careful not to get too close. The warm piece of scone was steaming invitingly, melting the edge of the butter near it. “I hope this is alright,” said Charlie. “If you want something else just let me know.”

Adrian shrugged and smiled faintly, hiding the fact that, no matter how routine climbing a rope was, it was still a bit of a workout. "I've had some practice," he admitted. His gaze shifted to the scone, however, when Charlie set the plate down. He waited until the human's hand was well out of the way, not wanting to risk accidentally brushing into it. But, the bread there looked so inviting, and he sat down in front of the saucer as soon as possible to tear off a piece.

He couldn't decide on the butter or the jam. He didn't have much experience with either. Seeing that the butter was melting, he decided to try that first. He raised his eyebrows appreciatively as soon as he tried a bite of the warm scone. "Oh wow," he muttered. "Thanks, Charlie. I haven't had something this good in... well, a long time."

“You’re welcome,” Charlie said with a smile, “I’m glad you like it.” He was greatly pleased that Adrian was enjoying it. He sat down at the desk, appreciating the fact that he and Adrian were on more equal ground now. Having to look down at him all the time had been… disconcerting, to say the least.

His eyes went to Adrian’s rope, which was pooled at the edge of the desk, and looked at it curiously. Such a simple contraption, but such a clever way to get around. It was amazing. He reached for it, curious to see just how it was made, but paused mid-gesture. “May I take a look at your rope?” he asked, gesturing to the grappling line in question. He didn’t want to be rude and just pick up things that weren’t his, especially without warning.

Adrian glanced over when he saw Charlie's hand move. He couldn't stop being wary of that, but he hoped that the human wouldn't mind. He turned his eyes up to Charlie's face, however, when he heard his request. He smiled and nodded. "Yes. Go ahead. I actually made the hook out of a paper clip." He chuckled faintly and helped himself to another piece of the scone. "Not one of yours, though. But it doesn't hurt to have spares." He reached behind himself to pat the side of the pencil strapped to his back once again. The hook on the end was also clearly made from a paper clip. "I use wire like that a lot," he admitted. He looked back to his food and tried some of the jam this time, to stop himself before he started rambling about the things he liked to build. He was already breaking enough rules.

It didn’t go unnoticed that Adrian was still a little skittish around Charlie, and it was with a bit of a sheepish smile that Charlie slowly and carefully picked up the small device. He would have to remember to scare Adrian as little as possible when he moved around. Charlie glanced at the pencil/wire/rope combo on the small person’s back as Adrian mentioned it, staring with open amazement. “That’s so clever,” he said, thoroughly enthralled with Adrian’s creativity. They were simply household items, and ones nobody would miss, but Adrian had turned them into something awfully useful for himself. It was simply incredible.

Not wanting to stare at Adrian for too long, Charlie shifted his attention to the contraption in his hand. It was simple as well, just a bit of wire tied to a string of yarn, but he himself knew that Adrian could use it to climb things many times his own height. The little grappling line was dwarfed in Charlie’s hands, and the human marveled at the sheer difference in scale as he picked up the small hook between two fingers. “Amazing,” he murmured.

Adrian felt some warmth in his face to hear the praise practically whisper out of Charlie's mouth. Amazing? He'd never thought about it that way. Sure, back home his family always encouraged him to keep making new inventions like that; but part of that was just to keep his restlessness at bay. No one had ever looked at a simple old grappling line like it was that fascinating. If Charlie was going to be this nice, Adrian couldn't really keep regretting that he got seen.

"The first one I ever made was so bad," Adrian said conversationally, shrugging lamely. "It fell apart before I got a few inches up. The hook got stuck until I could make another to get it down." He had misjudged the knot and the curve of the wire on that one. It had been pretty embarrassing, really. Adrian's uncle had teased him a lot for that. "I'm always trying to make better and better things. I like building things just to see how they'll stand up."

“That’s admirable, but isn’t it a smidge dangerous?” Charlie asked, setting the grappling line back down on the desk delicately. A small frown of concern appeared on his face as he thought of the rope coming undone while Adrian was climbing it. “I mean, you couldn’t possibly test things before using them yourself. What happens if something goes wrong? You could get terribly hurt.” He was always telling Sawyer this, what with his friend’s daredevil antics and penchant for jumping off of things he shouldn’t.

The thought struck Charlie that his friend would be amazed by somebody like Adrian and what the little person apparently did on a daily basis. He couldn’t possibly tell Sawyer about Adrian, however; with the reaction Adrian had given him, he was certain Adrian wouldn’t want a single other human to even know about him. Not to mention it was Sawyer- Charlie liked his friend, he really did, but Sawyer tended to be a bit… rough, and enthusiastic about things. He probably wouldn’t be the best person to entrust the secret of such a delicate creature with, and definitely not while Adrian and Charlie were still getting to know each other.

Adrian's brow furrowed as he considered it. He had heard more than a few stories of the dangers of the viri lifestyle. It was part of why he always tried to make _better_ things- to minimize those risks. Because getting a broken leg at their size, without a good way to take care of it, almost always did lasting damage.

"I test things a little, before I use them for real," Adrian defended meekly. "But... I don't really have a lot of options. I have to climb around _somehow,_ " he added with a faint smile. It was just a fact when everything was built to tower over you, and all of the food was kept on the higher shelves. "I just try not to think of how high up I am. That makes it less worrying."

“I suppose,” said Charlie. He still looked faintly distressed at the whole idea- then again, Adrian seemed pretty comfortable with it. Perhaps it was different if you spent your whole life doing such things; as Adrian said, he didn’t have many other options. It was take some risks or not be able to get what you need. That wasn’t much of a choice at all, really. “Well, you won’t have to do all that so often anymore, if you don’t want to.” He glanced at Adrian and flushed, continuing with the hope that he wasn’t overstepping his bounds. “That is, I would be more than happy to give you anything you ask. If… if you stick around and would like me to. I understand if you don’t.”

Adrian perked up for a second, a hundred thoughts fighting for some kind of dominance at the fore of his mind. If he accepted, he would suddenly have so many options. He could get the specific building materials he needed, rather than scrounging around and hoping something suitable came along. He could even get access to a book about how _humans_ built some things, and how to apply that to his own experience. He could spend more time with his designs, if he didn't have to devote enough time to raiding the cupboards for food. But that would pretty much mean ignoring the Code entirely. He'd already broken so many rules just by staying when Charlie saw him; and he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't still pretty nervous about a human knowing about him.

Adrian wrung his hands thoughtfully, his eyes glassy for a moment. "Th-that would make everything a lot easier for me," he answered appreciatively. "But I... maybe I shouldn't. I've already messed up enough by being seen. That's not supposed to happen, as I'm sure you guessed. I mean, you've been very kind, and I'd hate to impose anyway. But what if you weren't? I mean, if you were the kind of human that was super grabby, I'd-" He stopped himself short to shudder at the thought of being grabbed. While his instincts did nag him that he had no assurance that Charlie wasn't going to get grabby, Adrian had a feeling that this human at least would be respectful about that.

“Don’t worry,” Charlie assured him softly, shaking his head. “I would never… grab at you like that.” Talk about a violation of privacy. Still, even as he reassured Adrian that he would do everything he could to refrain from making him uncomfortable, Charlie was thinking through the rest of Adrian’s words. He was smart enough to put two and two together, and had done so already.

After all, logically speaking it was much more likely that Adrian was one of many, an entire species (or subspecies, perhaps), rather than an isolated case. There was folklore around the world about little people, so despite their admirable ability to stay secret up until now, Charlie wasn’t necessarily surprised by Adrian’s existence, and that of his kind. Thus, it was with near certainty that Charlie added, “I understand if you don’t want to stay- I’m sure your family would be quite worried about you if they knew you were talking to a human like me.” He smiled gently at Adrian. “Just, know you are always welcome here; and you’re never imposing.”

A jolt of alertness ran up Adrian's spine. "How did... I mean. Um." He looked almost confused. Adrian knew at this point that he wouldn't be able to cover up and hide the existence of the other viri. He was a terrible liar, and his slip-ups certainly couldn't have helped. He should have guessed that Charlie would pick up on his cues and figure things out easily. But, an absurd notion did cross his mind, and he had to ask before it nagged at him endlessly. "Have you met a... someone like me, before?" That would be one hell of a coincidence. But, it might also be an explanation for how well Charlie was handling everything.

Charlie laughed lightly and gave him a small smile. “Goodness, no,” he said. “If I had I think I would have handled this rather better.” After all, he’d scared poor Adrian awfully bad when they first met. He was still making mistakes- obviously mentioning Adrian’s family had made him flustered and on edge again. “I’m sorry if I made you nervous by mentioning others,” Charlie apologized. “It was simply a reasonable assumption, I meant nothing by it.” Charlie smiled sheepishly, feeling bad for having obviously done something wrong. He assured Adrian, “Don’t worry, I certainly won’t tell anybody. If your kind has spent this much time staying in the shadows of myth, I wouldn’t want to be the one to ruin all that hard work.”

Adrian blinked, amazed at just how on top of things Charlie was. If he could draw conclusions that quickly, it was a _very_ good thing that he was so kind. Adrian smiled faintly. "You're really nice," he pointed out appreciatively. He brushed his hands of any crumbs before standing up. He walked carefully towards where Charlie had set down his rope. It put him a little closer to the human, but Adrian held his nervousness at bay to pick up the yarn and start looping it up into a manageable coil. After all, Charlie had said that he wouldn't grab him, and Adrian found himself wanting to believe that. So he did.

"Pretty much all my life I've been taught that any human that saw me would be the most dangerous thing I ever dealt with." He shrugged and held his hands out from his sides, as if to indicate their current scenario and how little danger there seemed to be in it. "Thanks for not telling anyone. I'd hate to see what would happen if word got out."

“As would I,” Charlie murmured, thinking about that particular scenario. He hated to admit it, as he always wanted to see the best in people, but humans knowing that people like Adrian existed probably wouldn’t end well. As a history major, Charlie knew better than anybody that mankind tended to react violently to anything it found strange and unusual. People such as Adrian, as small and fragile as they were, wouldn’t stand a chance. Charlie knew that, though he wasn’t the strongest person by any means, even somebody as unintimidating as himself could easily have caught Adrian and kept him from doing anything about it. What a horrid thought. “Unfortunately that was probably a safe thing to be taught,” he commented, giving Adrian a small, nervous smile. “Many humans would likely pose a danger to you. We’re just fortunate that I’m not one of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Adrian never fail to have a thoroughly civil conversation. ^^ It's a good thing Charlie wouldn't hurt a fly though- he's a little too smart for any viri's good!


	14. Chapter 14

Adrian nodded. He was extremely aware of how lucky he was. Charlie might just be the only human whose first reaction wasn't to grab at something so small and unusual. Unless there was a human out there that shared Adrian's qualms about being touched, he was sure that most others would definitely be of a “snatch first, ask questions later” mentality. Rather than dwell on that horrifying thought, he shifted the subject a little.

"So... you _really_ wouldn't mind if I stayed here?" Adrian asked, optimism brightening his face again. "I mean, I can't really pay rent, because we don't use money, but then I wouldn't take up much space anyway 'cause I'd live in the walls. I'd promise that 'you wouldn't even notice that I'm here,' but I guess you would." He chuckled nervously, knowing he was letting himself ramble a little. "But that would take so much pressure off, and I could focus on making my house. I was excited to see that no other viri lived here before, it means I have to start from-" He stopped himself and shut his mouth quickly. He'd just casually dropped the name of his kind in the conversation, and he knew Charlie would have picked it up. "Um. Start from scratch, I mean," he finished sheepishly.

Charlie brightened up as Adrian did, though he didn’t fail to notice when the little person – viri, he now knew – clammed up. He didn’t mention it however, recognizing that it wasn’t something that Adrian had meant to say. Instead he just said, “Of course I wouldn’t mind.” He gave Adrian an enthusiastic smile, pleased beyond belief at the idea of this new friend sticking around. Being an introvert, Charlie didn’t often make real friends, and it was even less often that he felt comfortable spending time with people while he was at home- but Adrian was different, for many reasons. Charlie thought he would be perfectly comfortable even with Adrian living with him.

“You’re going to make a house inside the walls?” Charlie asked, thoroughly intrigued. It was something he never would have thought of, but which made perfect sense once he thought about it. Adrian was small enough he could certainly fit inside the walls, and it would be the best location as far as secrecy and mobility was concerned. Still, it sounded like quite the endeavor. “From scratch? And all by yourself?” Charlie asked, looking awestruck by Adrian’s enthusiasm for it. “That’s impressive.”

The idea would certainly take some getting used to. Adrian knew he'd probably still be a bit skittish for a while, but the monumental opportunity was overshadowing his doubts easily. It helped considerably that Charlie already promised not to try something like picking him up. "Yeah, I've been looking forward to building my own home since I was a kid. I have a ton of drawings of ideas. Well, I guess most of them are _too_ elaborate, but I'm gonna do my best." Adrian had two books in his possession back in the walls: one was his family's history, to which he was supposed to add his own life; the second was for his drawings, which his mother and aunts had made for him to get him to stop drawing in the margins of the history book.

Charlie all but beamed in the face of Adrian’s obvious enthusiasm. “Well, I’m glad you’ll get the chance to try out some of those ideas,” Charlie said happily. “I would love to see some of your drawings, if you’re willing to show them to me.” Charlie had a rather good imagination, and while he couldn’t fathom having to build your own house inside of another one, that only made him more interested in seeing how such a thing would be done. Adrian seemed like he had quite the knack for it too- Charlie was sure that given the free reign and materials he needed, Adrian could make something spectacular. Charlie only wished there was some way he would be able to see the end product; it being within the walls of his own home, however, it was unlikely he would get the chance. Even more reason to see what Adrian had drawn out and was planning to do.

Adrian smiled, glad to have someone as interested in his drawings as he was. His family praised his talent on occasion, of course. But, beyond them, he didn't have anyone to show off his designs to. "I'd show you now, but I don't have my book with me," he admitted. "It's kind of heavy to carry around when I don't need to. Well, for me, anyway. The covers are cut from real book bindings. And all that paper gets heavy really fast." He shrugged and glanced over at the novels still stacked neatly on the side of the desk. To him, they may as well be another piece of furniture.

After a hesitant pause, Adrian looked back up at Charlie with a faint smile. "I guess I could go get it," he offered. "If you really want to see."

“It sounds wonderful,” Charlie said. He had seen homemade books before, of course, but he had a feeling Adrian’s would be something special. “If you’re willing to fetch it I would of course like to see it.” Charlie smiled and pushed his chair back from the desk, giving Adrian more than enough room to climb down from the desk. He wondered where exactly Adrian would be going to fetch this book- after all, he’d already told Charlie that he hadn’t made a home within the walls yet. Charlie was curious how exactly he managed to get in and out of the space; off the top of his head he couldn’t think of a way to get into the walls. Perhaps Adrian had made his own hole, or kind of door somewhere. It wouldn’t surprise Charlie, with what he had seen of the little person’s ingenuity thus far.

"Okay." Adrian watched as Charlie pushed away from the desk, and waited to step forward until the human's hands were no longer resting on the edge. He knelt to secure his hook to the edge of the desk, but then looked up. "Um, I guess it might take me a little while," he admitted. "I only have two entrances to the walls so far and neither of them are in here." He paused to sit on the edge of the desk with his legs hanging over the side. "I could meet you in your kitchen so you don't have to sit around in here to wait for me."

“Alright,” Charlie said, giving Adrian a wide-eyed response. He hadn’t thought about how long it would take him, and wondered if he shouldn’t have asked in the first place. He was awfully curious, however, and Adrian seemed willing, if honest about how long it was going to take. Charlie gave Adrian a small smile- it was a bit nervous due to the fact that Adrian was sitting on the edge of the desk so casually, and Charlie worried that he might fall, but the human said nothing. Instead he offered, “If I can be of assistance in any way, please let me know.” He knew Adrian probably wouldn’t want the kind of transportation assistance Charlie could give him, but it was polite to offer regardless considering the effort Adrian was about to make for him.

Adrian shook his head with a polite smile. "That's okay. Thanks for offering." As convenient as it might be to just let Charlie take him, Adrian couldn't imagine how it would be done. He couldn't fathom being brushed by someone else, let alone standing on their hand while they ferried him somewhere. "I hate to make you wait, when you've been so generous already, but I'll have to make it myself."

That said, Adrian shifted and got his rope in hand. He was careful about it, but soon enough he'd begun the slide towards the floor. He tried not to think about how a human was looking right at him. Normally such a thought would be terrifying; but now, he couldn't help but wonder what was going through Charlie's head as the human watched his progress. Once on the floor, Adrian looked up and flicked the rope, deftly catching the hook in his other hand when it fell. "I'll be back out in a bit," he called up, suddenly reminded once again of the size difference.

Charlie watched in amazement (and admittedly with more than a few nerves) as Adrian climbed his way down to the floor. He did it so easily, but it also served to highlight just how small he was- a desk shorter than Charlie was quite the climb for Adrian. Charlie’s eyes widened as Adrian disengaged the hook with a neat flick of the rope, even catching it expertly. It was obvious Adrian had practice with such things, but it still seemed incredible to Charlie.

“Okay,” Charlie replied quietly, looking down at him. They were terribly uneven again, and Charlie felt uncomfortably as if he were looming over Adrian as he spoke. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” He didn’t move, however, wanting to wait until Adrian had gone back into the walls to walk to the other room. Charlie looked on with interest as Adrian walked out of the room, leaning forward in his seat slightly to keep track of the little person as he went out into the hallway.

Adrian probably wouldn't admit it, but as he walked back into the hallway, he was really glad Charlie had stayed seated. He knew he couldn't have asked for the human to stay still like that in his own home. But, it was definitely going to take getting used to, if he really did stay. His thoughts kept dancing back and forth on the issue, all they way to his entrance in the hall closet. Could he really let himself stay here, with Charlie knowing about his existence?

He wanted to. It would make things a lot easier on him, something he was certain few viri actually had an opportunity for. And Charlie was exactly the opposite of what Adrian had expected from a human. He'd called them _neighbors._ Though it might be early to make a decision, Adrian could easily see himself becoming friends with the guy; Adrian was not exactly a social butterfly, but he was friendly to everyone. Charlie seemed like-minded. The viri carefully traversed the unfamiliar passages in the walls, thinking heavily about whether he should take this huge risk.

Charlie watched Adrian until he disappeared, into the coat closet of all places. After waiting a few moments to make sure he wouldn’t startle Adrian by walking around, Charlie stood up, making his way into the kitchen in a matter of moments. It was incredible to think about how easily he had done so, when for Adrian it would certainly have been the trek of a few minutes. He’d certainly been introduced to a shift in perspective today, though he found it stimulating to consider.

Perhaps once he and Adrian knew each other well enough Charlie could ask him some questions about his culture and lifestyle; he was sure the responses would be fascinating, and draw some really interesting parallels with human societies. After all, from what he could tell, Adrian and other viri were almost exactly like human beings. Their lives would be completely different because of circumstances, however, and their worldview had to be unique. Charlie was almost making himself dizzy just thinking about it. There was so much to be explored about their world- but of course, only if Adrian felt like sharing it. Charlie knew he was an outsider, and a “dangerous” one at that. He wouldn’t be surprised if Adrian couldn’t tell him anything, even if he wanted to.

By the time Adrian reached his “home camp”, he had come to a tentative decision. He wanted to try to stick around, at least for a while. He told himself that, if any other humans figured out about him or if he felt like he might be in any danger, he could easily leave then. They couldn't hunt him down if they didn't have evidence. He smiled faintly as he picked up his sketchbook, carefully tucking it under an arm. It was a bit cumbersome, but he was looking forward to showing off his work.

Getting to the other entrance was slightly slower going, but it was more straightforward. He didn't hurry, knowing it would be too dangerous to rush and fall somewhere; but he did feel a little bad for making Charlie wait. He took a few steeling breaths before he slipped through his entrance into the kitchen cupboard almost fifteen minutes later. He walked over to the door, hesitating. If he knocked on it, would Charlie even hear it?

With a sigh, Adrian set his book down and took his pencil from its holster. He pushed the eraser end on the cupboard door, straining for a moment before it started to swing open. "H-hey, Charlie? You out there?" he asked, his voice a little tight from the exertion of holding the heavy wooden door open like that.

While waiting for Adrian to return, Charlie had taken his laptop into the kitchen and was sitting at the table with it. He was curious about how such a group of people could stay so secret for so long- obviously they had perpetuated the myths surrounding their kind, so that even if one of them was spotted nobody would believe the human who did so. It was incredibly clever, and he was certain they had more tricks like that up their tiny sleeves. The first thing he did was pull up a translator and put “viri” into it, just to see what it came up with. Apparently it meant “men” in Latin, which made a great deal of sense. Just like humans, viri obviously considered themselves to be mankind. An interesting notion indeed, to have both peoples under the same idea.

When Adrian’s voice piped up from the cupboard Charlie looked up, startled, and glanced around before he found the door pushed slightly ajar. Closing his laptop he stood and walked over to it. “Yes, I’m out here,” he told Adrian, mostly by way of warning so as to not surprise the little man. Realizing that it was probably taking Adrian a great deal of effort to keep the door propped open, Charlie opened it himself easily.

Adrian sighed with relief when he heard Charlie announce his presence. He shifted his feet even as the human approached, ready to let go of the door. But, he didn't work quite fast enough, and the door opened wide in front of him. Adrian stumbled forward, losing his grip on the pencil and sending it clattering to the counter below. He stood right on the edge of the cupboard, his blue eyes wide as he pinwheeled his arms to keep from toppling down himself.

"Woah, woah, ack!" he blurted when he finally did slip. All of his prior fears, of humans, of getting captured, were wiped clean from his mind. He only knew the heart-stopping feeling of freefall, though he tried to catch his hand on the ledge before it was too late. He missed it.

Charlie squeaked with panic as Adrian fell, immediately letting go of the door and catching the viri in cupped hands. He was just in time, too- Adrian had only been inches away from hitting the counter. Heart pounding madly from the sudden emergency, and trying to keep his hands from shaking thanks to the superfluous amount of adrenaline now pumping through him, Charlie tentatively raised Adrian up in his hands. “I am so sorry,” he apologized, knowing that the action of him opening the door had been what caused Adrian to fall. “Are you alright?”

Even as he worried about Adrian, however, Charlie couldn’t help to marvel at the feeling of having him in his own hands. Little Adrian hardly weighed a thing, and felt as fragile as a baby bird sitting in Charlie’s cupped palms. It only made Charlie worry more that Adrian had been hurt by the fall.

It took Adrian a few seconds to realize he hadn't broken against the countertop. But, when he realized where he was, he sucked in a breath and tried to scramble to his feet, only to lose his balance and fall back down, sitting slightly curled up in Charlie's cupped hands. He might have propped himself up, but Adrian couldn't bring himself to bring another square millimeter of himself in direct contact. His body shook all over, partially from the frightening fall, but largely from the sensation that he was nearly surrounded by _hands._

"I'm f-f-fine," he stammered out, his arms held up awkwardly in front of himself as he tried to avoid brushing them on the fingers that had saved his life, but that he couldn't stand to touch regardless. "Please," he muttered, much quieter. "D-down. Can't, touch." He knew he probably sounded nearly incoherent. He'd be able to explain better when he wasn't so directly affected by his phobia. At the moment, however, Adrian's whole body was on alert.

“Ah! Right,” Charlie said, quickly realizing that the mere fact Adrian that was in his hands was making him panic. The poor little guy was practically shaking like a leaf from the contact, curled up in the center of Charlie’s palm as if to touch as little of it as he could manage. As rapidly and carefully as possible, Charlie walked over to the kitchen table and deposited Adrian onto the wooden surface, removing his hands immediately.

Charlie hovered a bit away from the table, his hands tucked behind his back as he looked at Adrian with worry. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. He knew it was the only way that he could have caught Adrian, and that he probably saved the viri’s life in doing so, but all the same he felt incredibly guilty. Adrian looked completely undone by the experience. He didn’t know if it was simply the learned aversion to humans that had so panicked Adrian or something more; but whatever it was, it had certainly made a severe and immediate impact on the poor fellow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, after so much trauma being avoided, something was bound to go wrong. ^^; Poor Adrian. Being a viri with a tactile issue is much harder than being a human with one, if only because sometimes you just can't avoid it.


	15. Chapter 15

Adrian felt some of his tension leave as soon as he was safely on the table, though he still shook quite a bit. He took a few seconds to recover further before turning his gaze upward to Charlie. He could see the concern there, the sheepish guilt. It wasn't Charlie's fault; in fact, Adrian had enough of his logical self back to know that it had been necessary to save his life. He hugged his arms around himself, an attempt to stop the quaking and to keep himself from trying to brush himself off. He could handle this.

"Th-thanks," Adrian finally said, giving the human a faint smile to show he really was okay. "For catching me b-before I..." his gaze slid over to the counter, the hard surface that might have killed him. "I just. Um." His face reddened, embarrassment evident in every part of his expression. "Physical contact with other people, I can't stand it. It's not your fault. I can't even hug my mom." He couldn't remember when it had started, or why. All the same, he was embarrassed now, thanks to his over-the-top reaction.

Charlie was admittedly relieved that it wasn’t just him; apparently it was something specific to Adrian, and not simply because Charlie was human that Adrian had reacted the way he did. Regardless of why it had happened, however, poor Adrian was still shaking because of it. Not to mention the poor dear seemed awfully embarrassed. “Oh,” Charlie said, slowly taking a seat at the table. “I’m terribly sorry then, I would have put you down sooner had I known.” He tried to give Adrian an encouraging smile, though he was still trying to calm down from the ordeal himself. His heart was still pounding against his chest.

“I promise I won’t do it again, not unless it’s an emergency.” He glanced over towards the counter and the open cupboard door. “Which, I suppose this was.” Giving Adrian a thoroughly concerned look Charlie added, “You could have gotten seriously hurt. That was quite dangerous- could you possibly work on a door that’s a bit less high?” Charlie knew it had been partially his fault as well, but now that he knew the kind of risks Adrian might be taking, he wanted to minimize them as much as possible- especially since Adrian had no need to get into the cupboard, not now that Charlie could simply give him food.

Adrian gave a breathy, nervous chuckle; but he didn't protest any of Charlie's scolding. He was absolutely right. "Well, normally I wouldn't have call to be near the door, y'know?" he explained with a shrug. His shaking had begun to wane, lingering now in his arms and legs rather than his whole body. "I was going to make an entrance behind the toaster oven. It looked like a good spot from the inside."

With a slow breath, Adrian got to his feet. He brushed his arms off once each, but otherwise quelled the recent feeling of physical contact. "I guess I surprised you a little, too, huh?" he asked with another faint laugh. "Trust me, I plan to be as careful as I can to avoid a repeat performance."

At the mention of the toaster oven Charlie glanced over at it, trying to imagine a secret passage of sorts getting built behind it. It was fairly well hidden, and he could see why Adrian had been considering it. His attention turned back to Adrian as he stood up. “Yes,” Charlie said, with a soft, nervous chuckle. “It was possibly the most surprising thing to happen to me in a while.” He gave Adrian a sheepish grin. “I was quite worried that I wouldn’t be able to catch you- my heart was going a mile a minute.” Charlie was sure it was nothing compared to what Adrian had been feeling as he fell, though. It was hard to imagine the terror of such a drop.

Adrian chuckled, sharing in Charlie's relief. All compulsions aside, he was quite glad, too. He probably couldn't have recovered from such a fall, even with a human on his side. "Oh," he said, a thought suddenly coming to him. "Did my pencil break when it fell?" he asked, leaning slightly to try to see his dropped tool. He couldn't tell the state it was in from where he stood on the table. He supposed it would be prudent to check, though, as he had left his book on the edge of the cupboard anyway. "I hope not. That hook was such a pain to secure in place."

“Oh,” said Charlie, standing up to go check on it. It was still lying on the counter where it fell, and he picked it up to examine the small cobbled-together device. “No, it looks perfectly fine to me,” he assured Adrian, glancing back and giving him a smile. Before returning he reached up and fetched the small book off of the shelf as well, glancing at it with open amazement for a moment before shutting the cupboard door and returning to the kitchen table.

“Here you are,” he said, setting the pencil and book near Adrian. He set them a good couple of inches away, making sure there wasn’t even the slightest chance of his hands brushing up against the viri. “That book looks really well made,” Charlie commented. He had been staring at it since picking it up. It was amazing to him that not only had a book that small been made and _used_ , but by somebody who fit its scale (more or less).

Adrian was pleased to see that nothing had broken. He really had taken a while to make that hook, despite the simplicity of the device. He put it back in the holster on his back, settling the worn out pencil in the wire frame easily. Then, he stooped to pick up his sketchbook. It would probably be akin to encyclopedia size proportionally, if the encyclopedias he had seen were any indication. "My aunts made it. Apparently they collected the paper for months before they had enough." He absently ran his thumb along the pages, flipping through them without opening the book all the way.

"They couldn't think of another way to get me to quit drawing on the walls back home until they started getting me paper." He laughed at the many memories he had of getting scolded time and time again. Then, he sat down and flipped the book open to a random page. He set it down on the table and pushed it forward for Charlie to see it, and then scooted back himself to make room. "There... you can look if you want." Most common, of course, were designs for a home or new devices he could try to build, though Adrian had also included some drawings of scenery and the things he saw.

Charlie chuckled in amusement at the mention of drawing on the walls, but quickly fell silent in awe of the little book before him. As delicately as he could he turned the little pages with a finger, staring in open amazement at the sketches drawn therein. “These are fantastic, Adrian!” he exclaimed, sounding just as impressed as he looked. Each sketch was fully imagined, a wonderful image that Charlie wished he had a microscope to look at. He knew he was missing details.

Some of the drawings were of architectural designs, but there were a couple incredibly realistic sketches of real life things. One, a quite detailed little drawing of a bumblebee, made Charlie wonder how different the world looked to Adrian. Even in the pencil sketch you could tell the insect looked much bigger than, say, a human would have drawn it. “You could be an architect,” Charlie said, flipping through some house designs now. “These are simply amazing.”

Adrian beamed, encouraged by Charlie's praise. "You think so? I thought that took a lot of studying. I just draw what I think would look good." He watched the drawings flip by, remembering most of them despite his upside down view of the book. "Some of 'em I could never make on my own, though. Even with all the supplies I'd need, they wouldn't be practical, they'd tip right over."

He sat back, enjoying the thought that his work was so praiseworthy by a human. He'd seen some of the things they could come up with, with their vast canvases and endless supplies. Adrian had little scraps of paper barely larger than stamps, and pencil nubs. "So, what do you study? I mean, you study something, right?"

Charlie gave him a small smile. “Yes, I study quite a lot,” he said, thinking about all the books he read and papers he wrote just in the last three years. “I’m a history major- my concentrations are in European history and ancient civilizations.” He gestured to the living room, and the books that filled the space (as well as the rest of the apartment). “As you can see I’m a bit of a bookworm. I find the past fascinating, and I think we could learn much from it to make the future better.” He all but beamed at Adrian, enthusiastic as always about the topics he found interesting. “I want to become a history professor after all of this,” he confessed. It seemed a bit odd to most people, going through college only so that you could teach in it for the rest of your life, but Charlie loved the idea of being a professor. He was practically a well-read old man already, or at least that’s what Sawyer told him.

Adrian turned where he sat to look over the living room. He'd seen the piles of books before, of course, but not from up on the table. He had a better angle to see just how many there actually were. The collection was like a library all by itself. He smiled softly. He wondered what Charlie would say if he told him he had his own history book, from the perspective of the viri; but that was something he couldn't reveal, at least not yet.

"I don't know much about history," he admitted. "Just what I've heard from my family." He'd only stretched the truth a little. "It sounds kind of interesting, to think about how to improve the future just from looking at history. I never thought about it that way. I'm usually thinking about the present," he added with a sheepish smile. "I go by what I see in front of me, I guess."

Charlie gave him a gentle smile. “Most people do,” he replied. “I wouldn’t worry about it.” He would be interested, more interested than anything in his life, to hear what little history Adrian had passed down to him from his family; but he knew that would be prying into matters that were certainly not his business. Perhaps someday he would be permitted to hear some of it. Granted, it probably wouldn’t be the first day he met the man, but Charlie was willing to wait.

A thought struck him, and he looked at Adrian to ask, “I suppose you wouldn’t have access to many books with your particular lifestyle, would you?” He looked almost distraught by the idea- a life without books was nigh impossible for Charlie to fathom, much less accept.

Another glance over at the stacks upon stacks of books easily told Adrian that Charlie asked because the answer worried him. The viri smiled and shrugged lamely. "Not a lot," he admitted, almost sounding embarrassed by the fact. "I've tried a couple times, but it's usually too risky." He edged forward to drag his sketchbook back towards himself. He leafed through the pages. "And it's kind of hard to get the supplies needed for books that are easier to carry, so we don't have a lot of our own. But we can read and stuff. We figure that out just fine, we have to in order to keep up with humans." He smiled faintly, trying to imagine living out of sight of humans without being able to read all of the helpful signs and newspapers they left everywhere.

“I’m sure you do,” said Charlie, an inquisitive smile on his face. He was endlessly intrigued by the secret life of the viri. They had to be so clever all the time, to stay so secret and unnoticed by the humans they lived with. They literally risked their lives, and way of life, every minute of every day just by the way they survived. It sounded terribly stressful to Charlie, but at the same time immensely interesting.

Such a culture would have so many small nuances put in place, to keep things like his and Adrian’s meeting from happening. No wonder Adrian was terrified- he must have been taught from a young age that humans were horrible. Not entirely true, but Charlie could see the merit in it; if you taught the children the worst case scenario as fact, then they would be adequately prepared for the life ahead of them. After all, if viri and nice humans became friends all the time, the world would know about the existence of such people. Then would come the greedy and the malicious, and the truths of the viri would be proven. Charlie wondered what the original catalyst had been for an entire world of people to move into the shadows of fantasy and conceal their very existence; he may never know.

Adrian knew a thoughtful look when he saw one. Charlie had slipped into his own musings for a moment, and Adrian wasn't one to interrupt. He could completely relate. He had a lot of things to digest, too. For example, the fact that he was sitting on a human's table, having a casual conversation with him. Something like this probably hadn't happened in a long time, if at all. He almost worried all over again about what his family would think.

But, it was kind of moot to worry about it. He'd given up the secret just by being seen. He still felt the lingering butterflies in his stomach, the ones that had been agitated to a frenzy when Adrian had first locked eyes with the human. Yet, here he was. He just couldn't have met Charlie's kind attitude with anything but the same. "I guess now I'll have a chance to read a little more," he piped up with a grin. "Since I won't have to worry about running for cover when you come in the room." Now _that_ was an exciting prospect; having to quickly duck out of sight came with its own dangers. Adrian's uncle had almost thrown his back out doing that.

“Oh, of course!” Charlie exclaimed, lighting up again. He was practically shining at the idea of helping Adrian read more. “You’re welcome to any book in the house! My computer as well, if you want to go online for things.” He beamed and patted the closed laptop with a hand. “I can help you find anything you want,” he promised. Charlie could, too- if there was anybody good at finding things, in print or online, it was the scholar sitting at the kitchen table. He was practically born for research. They lived in a world of information, so why not take advantage of it and learn as much as possible? It was exciting to find that Adrian might feel the same.

Adrian's own smile was positively beaming, though he'd almost flinched at Charlie's sheer enthusiasm. He glanced over at the computer when Charlie patted it, and his expression took on something akin to awe. "Really? You'd let me use your computer?" He had always known that humans were quite touchy about their technology. It was hard enough to get ahold of one of their phones without them noticing. "I've never used one before," he admitted with another grin. "The last place I lived, it was this older couple, they always kept theirs off and put away." Not to mention that, even if the computer was left on 24/7, operating it would have been a pain to keep secret.

“Well, you can try one out now,” Charlie said. He flipped up the top of the computer and typed in the password, waiting for the screen to come up before turning it to face Adrian. The machine, though not that big, practically dwarfed him. Perhaps his phone would be easier for a viri to use- they would have to try that out later. For now Charlie was admittedly interested to watch Adrian experiment with the computer. “Let me know if you want me to help you with anything,” he offered, tilting his head around so he could still see most of the screen. “It’s all yours, though- whatever you want to test out, now’s your chance.” He gave Adrian a kind smile, giving him complete control over the device.

Adrian got to his feet quickly, practically bouncing with excitement. He noted that, along with everything else, Charlie's computer was kept in excellent condition. Even his desktop was very well organized. Adrian stepped up onto the base, kneeling next to the trackpad. He had to use both hands for the cursor on the screen to move, and even then he had to lean in to the contact; but that didn't seem to slow him down much.

Before doing anything else, he opened up the control panel, going to the settings and finding the properties for the trackpad. He turned the sensitivity to the maximum level, and after that he could move the mouse with just one hand, though he still needed to use a little pressure. He looked up at Charlie sheepishly before continuing. "Um. I can put it back later. I'll remember," he promised. "It's one of the first things I do when I get my hands on a phone, too," he added with a shrug.

“I can understand why,” Charlie said. He gave Adrian an understanding smile. “Don’t worry about it. Do whatever you need to.” He was amazed to watch Adrian scroll with two hands, then one, almost bent over with his whole body just to do so. The machine hadn’t been made for such tiny hands, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t use it. Adrian seemed so excited, too, it was hard not to share in his enthusiasm.

Charlie looked on as the viri scrolled around to what he needed- Adrian took to it like a fish to water. It was such a novel sight, to see a man just more than five inches tall use his laptop, that Charlie couldn’t stop watching. He hoped Adrian didn’t think he was staring rudely; but it wasn’t exactly something that happened every day.

If Adrian noticed Charlie's staring, he didn't show it. He didn't seem to care at all. Now that he had the go-ahead, he was less hesitant. He swiped a hand along the trackpad, hovering the cursor over the browser symbol. "Last time I got online I found out about this neat site, I think it was made for math students. I was trying to learn some more advanced stuff than what I learned growing up. It's not exactly _useful,_ to someone like me, but... I kind of like it." He smiled faintly, almost looking like he expected to get teased about it.

Charlie simply smiled in return, always happy about anything Adrian was happy about. “It’s great that you’re interested in maths,” he said. “There’s certainly enough resources online to learn more of it. I wish I liked it better myself, but,” he shrugged, “it’s not my favorite subject. I understand how people find it interesting, but I’m afraid I find it terribly boring.” He said this with a small, embarrassed laugh. It wasn’t that he was bad at maths- in fact, he was rather good at it. In his mind that’s what made it worse, not using the talent he naturally had simply because he didn’t like the subject. He couldn’t help it, however; he worked with stories, with history, with words. Numbers were not his favorite medium.

Adrian chuckled. "You're not the first person I met that thought so," he answered, standing up once he'd set the cursor in the browser's address bar. He inched around, tapping the keys with his foot to spell out the web site's address. It was kind of slow going, as he expected, but he was still smiling at the thought. "My uncle was always teasing me about it. Not to be mean or anything, but he just liked to point out that these formulas don't really mean anything to a viri." Adrian shook his head. "Sure didn't convince me of anything."

“It shouldn’t have,” Charlie said emphatically. “Just because you’re a viri doesn’t mean maths isn’t important. Maths could be seen as the foundation of civilization- and seeking out knowledge is never a wasted effort.” He shook his head; he wasn’t surprised that viri, like many humans, often didn’t put value on ideas that weren’t immediately practical. It still made him sad though. Such a society as the viri’s could hugely benefit from all the knowledge humans had available to them, but it was obviously difficult for them to access. He wondered how open their communications were with each other- probably fairly limited, despite all the advances in technology. After all, they all still had a secret to keep, and at times the internet could be a bit _too_ open of a platform for such a thing.

After he got into the rhythm of operating the computer, Adrian quickly became engrossed in the information he was able to find. It had been fun already to see all of these new facts on a phone screen for a few minutes at a time. Now he had a screen several times his own size, and all the time he needed to peruse the webpages he found. Charlie left him to it, easily getting wrapped up in one of his books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A peek at Adrian's sketchbook, and a viri on a computer for once! ^^ The two of them are so comfortable together, it's nice. Don't worry though, we'll get back to a bit of conflict (aka Sawyer and Colfax) soon enough.


	16. Chapter 16

It was kind of nice. Adrian could get along perfectly without even saying anything to each other. It was a nerves-free environment, despite sitting out in plain sight. Adrian lost track of time. Before he knew it, the clock on the bottom corner of the computer screen indicated that it was nearly lunchtime. As soon as he realized it, his stomach started to ache a little, to offer him more encouragement to eat. Adrian memorized his place in the online math lessons, and then closed the browser. He glanced over at Charlie, wondering if the human was starting to feel his own hunger, but he didn't want to interrupt his reading.

As Adrian stopped working at the computer Charlie looked up from his book and over at him, smiling as he made eye contact. His eyes wandered over to the clock and he said, “Oh, is it lunchtime already? I suppose time really does fly by.” Surprisingly quickly, it would seem; their comfortable, quiet comradery had gone better than Charlie would have expected. It was nice to be able to simply sit around in a comfortable silence with a friend; it wasn’t often he got to do that with Sawyer. He and Adrian were already getting along so well, Charlie didn’t have any trouble imagining the rest of their time living together would be the same. “Anything in particular you would like to eat?” he asked Adrian, placing a bookmark in his novel and standing up. He knew it wasn’t often that the viri got to truly choose what he wanted to eat, and therefore wished to give him the option as much as possible.

Adrian stepped down from the computer to the table. It was almost strange not to feel the faint whirring of the hard drive beneath his feet. He'd gotten used to it. He shrugged and shook his head. "I can't think of anything off the top of my head," he replied. Honestly, having guaranteed access to food was amazing all by itself. The fact that Charlie so freely offered what he had galvanized Adrian to make sure he was appropriately grateful for whatever he got. "I'll just try whatever you decide to have, if that's alright."

“Of course,” Charlie said, giving him a smile. “Let’s see…” He browsed through their options before eventually deciding on a sandwich. It would at least be more easily eaten by Adrian, who only had his hands. Charlie would have to see about possibly procuring some miniature silverware for the viri; he was sure the internet could come up with something for them. After putting the sandwich together he took a knife and cut off a small portion for Adrian, smushing it carefully with the flat edge after a bit of thought. Placing the tiny sandwich on a saucer he slid it towards Adrian with a smile. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked, as he put his own plate on the table. “If you have a cup of your own we can use that, or I’m sure we can figure out something.”

The little sandwich that Charlie crafted had captured Adrian's attention. He looked it over with a smile, a bit humbled by the fact that the human had gone to the trouble, even flattening the bread to make it more manageable for him. He glanced up and saw Charlie's expectant expression, and realized he'd been asked a direct question. "Oh! Well, I have a cup but it's back in the walls," he admitted with a sheepish smile. "I... I could use a bottle cap or something if you have one. But, you don't have to worry about it if you don't. I can get some water later." He smiled and picked up the sandwich in both hands. "It's really great enough that you're letting me eat your food."

Charlie laughed lightly at that, already searching his drawers for a suitable bottle cap. “Please, it’s hardly any trouble. You barely eat a thing in comparison to what I have.” After all, a full sandwich for Adrian was less than a bite for Charlie. It was as if Adrian wasn’t eating anything at all, really. There was no possible way that Adrian eating Charlie’s food would ever be detrimental to the human.

Eventually Charlie made a small, triumphant noise and emerged from a drawer with a stray bottle cap in hand. Going to the sink he washed it out carefully, before drying it off and filling it with water. Careful not to spill it he returned to the table, setting it down next to Adrian. It looked awfully big next to him – more a bucket than a cup, really – but it would have to do for now. “There you are,” Charlie said happily. He gave Adrian a smile and sat down at the table before starting into his own food.

"Thanks," Adrian replied, nodding in approval at the bottle cap Charlie had procured. It was a lot of water, sure, but it wouldn't be the first time he used such a container. He settled in to his lunch, savoring the novel experience of having a sandwich so close to the proper size for him. Normally, the closest a viri would get to something like this was to cobble together misshapen scraps. He'd have to make sure he stayed in practice getting to food on his own, though; it wouldn't do to let his skills get rusty just because he had a human helping him out.

"Thanks again for letting me use the computer. I felt like an actual student for a bit, it was neat," he spoke up again after a few minutes of polite silence.

“Anytime,” Charlie told him with a smile. It faded slightly, however, as a thought struck him. “Speaking of actual students…” Charlie glanced over at the clock. It was about 12:30. “I have a class at one. I’ll have to leave, for an hour at least- though, I’m sure you’ll be fine on your own.” He gave Adrian an encouraging smile. Of course he would be fine- he had managed perfectly well before Charlie came along. “Although,” Charlie continued, looking thoughtful, “I suppose you could come along should you want to.” He wasn’t certain how they could manage such a thing, but he didn’t want to leave it unoffered. After all, if Adrian wanted to be a student, who was Charlie to decide whether or not he could attend classes?

Adrian followed Charlie's glance at the clock, thinking carefully. He'd almost forgotten that Charlie was a student himself. He just seemed so... collected compared the image of a college student that Adrian had in his head. He supposed it must vary from human to human.

"Well," he answered finally, "I think it would be pretty interesting. I've never been to a college before." He remembered his friend Colfax mentioning that he'd moved into a college building in the last message from him. That had been a long time ago indeed. It didn't sound like it'd be that safe. "But, um, how would I go with you without being seen?" he asked. He doubted that he'd be able to sit in any pockets comfortably enough even if he could fathom being on a human's person like that. "Does your bag have any side pouches? Something that won't get... squished?"

Charlie’s eyes widened slightly, but he said, “Let me go check,” and left the room. He quickly returned with his messenger bag, which was cleaner and more orderly than most college students’ backpacks. “I usually try not to, er, squish any part of my bag,” Charlie said, trying not to think about how the term could apply to little Adrian. “But this compartment here,” he said, tapping one on the side of the bag, “is more sheltered than the rest, and isn’t all that noticeable. If… if you feel comfortable with it.” Charlie was suddenly unsure of this whole thing; it sounded rather dangerous. Class wasn’t the most orderly place some times, and it would be doubly unsafe for somebody like Adrian. If the viri wanted to go, however, Charlie wasn’t going to stop him. He would just have to be extra careful with himself, and his bag, while the two of them attended class together.

Adrian glanced over the bag, noting that it certainly looked well cared for. If it had been worn out or patchy, he would have politely declined the whole idea. But, it looked like a safe enough bet for transportation... maybe. It was still a bit of an unnerving concept, to think of himself riding around in a human's schoolbag. At least the compartment Charlie had pointed out looked like it would be big enough for him. "I guess that's the best option, huh?" he asked with a faint chuckle. "I'd hate to miss out on a chance to see what a college class is like," he added. With that in mind, the decision became a little easier. "I'd be okay with trying that, if you don't mind it either." He could always opt out in the future if things turned out to be too bumpy.

Charlie smiled, though he was still rather nervous about the whole concept himself. “As long as you are fine with it I am as well,” he said. “I can promise you I’ll be as careful as possible- though, it will still be mostly up to you to stay unseen.” After all, with Adrian in his bag, Charlie wouldn’t be able to see the viri most of the time either. If Adrian was visible from the outside he might not know unless he was looking himself. Still, he was certain that if a viri like Adrian was good at anything, it was staying hidden when humans were around.

Charlie put away their used dishes in the sink; there wasn’t time to wash them now, but he would do it as soon as they got back from class. It would probably take Adrian a bit of time to get settled, and Charlie wanted to make sure the viri was secure and sure of his decision before leaving for campus. Luckily the university building they were headed towards wasn’t terribly far away, perhaps a five-minute walk at the most. As long as Charlie walked smoothly and carefully, it shouldn’t be too bad of a trip for Adrian.

When Charlie set the bag down to take care of the dishes, Adrian stepped towards it cautiously. Once he was sure it wouldn't shift or fall over, he reached the hooked end of his pencil up to the edge of the open compartment on the side. When it was in place, it was easy to climb up, though he crouched precariously on the zipper once he had a chance to peer in. His heart was pounding from excitement at the chance to try something new, and from nerves. He was about to place a good portion of responsibility for his well being in the hands of a human.

"Well, at least I'll be able to say I tried, if nothing else," he said with a nervous smile. Then, he dropped himself into the bag, landing in a careful crouch at the bottom. He had to chuckle quietly at the strange feeling, like standing in a hammock. He pushed the outer fabric of the pocket away to look up and out before it was zipped closed. "I gotta say, this is kind of interesting all by itself."

Charlie looked around after putting away the dishes, surprised to find the table empty save his bag. Then Adrian piped up and he breathed a small sigh, going over to look at his schoolbag. He would never have noticed Adrian was in there; he didn’t even make the pocket look full. It was amazing, and rather nerve-wracking all at the same time. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Adrian was just so _small_. They hadn’t even left the house yet and Charlie was already worrying about him.

He tried to quell his nerves, however, and smiled down at Adrian as he peeked his head out of the unzipped pocket. The sight was adorable, and Charlie felt quick thrill of excitement at the idea of bringing along such a tiny study buddy to class. This was going to be a wonderfully unusual endeavor, if nothing else. “Are you sure it’s alright?” Charlie asked. “You’ll be comfortable enough?” He wasn’t planning on zipping the pocket at least, so it shouldn’t be too terribly claustrophobic.

Adrian was still a bundle of nerves, but he didn't want to back out now. He offered Charlie a smile. "I'll be fine, probably. Though once you're on the move I'll definitely have to sit down. The bottom isn't very solid. Not that I expected it to be." He almost shifted to duck down into the pocket to hide himself and curl into the corner, but a sudden thought made him look back up.

"Oh, and if it looks like someone might be too close to noticing or something... you can close the zipper. The fabric is breathable enough." He could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth. He'd basically just given Charlie permission to trap him in there. But despite the alarm bells in his head, Adrian settled himself down, confident in the knowledge that Charlie wouldn't abuse something like that.

“Okay, I will,” Charlie promised. Awestruck at how easily Adrian disappeared, Charlie stood on his tiptoes and peered inside the small pocket. Adrian was seated nicely in the corner, with plenty of room despite it being practically the smallest compartment on the bag. It was simply amazing how tiny he was. Leaning back, Charlie picked up his computer and slid it into the main compartment of the bag as smoothly as possible. Ducking around the corner he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on, buttoning it up before returning to the kitchen table. “Alright, Adrian,” he said, feeling odd about talking to his bag. “Are you ready to go?”

Adrian braced a hand on the side of the pocket when the computer was added to the bag. It was strange to think that such a heavy thing could be moved so easily. He glanced up, and could only see a sliver of ceiling above. It almost felt silly, sitting in some human's computer bag. Some viri did take that risk, but the human was never aware of their presence. "As ready as I'll ever be, Charlie," he called back, huddling himself even more securely into the corner. He tried to prepare himself for the sensation of the bag lifting from the table, though he had no frame of reference. "Don't be late on my account!" he added.

Charlie chuckled at that. “No worries, I’ve left us plenty of time,” he assured Adrian. With that he oh-so-carefully picked up his computer bag, holding it steady while he placed the strap across his shoulders. He had a feeling he would be holding the bag himself as much as he could, rather than letting it fall to his side as it usually did, if only to keep it from bumping against his legs as they walked. “…and here we go,” he said, before taking steady, careful steps across the room and to the front door. Making sure to jostle the bag as little as possible, Charlie walked out of his apartment and closed the door behind him, locking it with a key before turning towards campus. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for the rather adventurous undertaking ahead; and with that, they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short chapter, but we're about to switch things up again so I had to break it off here. ^^ They're off on an adventure!


	17. Chapter 17

After such an intense and, sometimes, terrifying day, it was no wonder that Colfax slept as hard as he did. He normally slept like the dead, but this sleep was _deep._ So it wasn't surprising when his thoughts churned slowly, very slowly back to speed. It didn't hurt that he was sleeping on the softest surface he'd ever rested on. It was like a cloud, or... a pillow?

He bolted upright as it all came back to him in a rush of collided memories. Colfax threw his arms up and kicked his legs in surprise to push the shirt off of him before he even realized what was covering him. He looked around, blinking rapidly in the morning light that filtered in through the window. As someone used to waking up in the walls, it was unusual for him to see so much sunlight first thing in the morning. He wasn't sure he liked it.

Colfax's first attempt to stand was thwarted by the cushy surface he rested on. The pillow was indented enough in the middle that he couldn't see very far beyond it. He grumbled under his breath. Waking up every morning was already such a chore. Waking up to find that he was still a reluctant “guest” to a _human,_ however... Colfax lay back, frowning at the ceiling and trying to blink the drowsiness from his eyes, before said human came to pester him as he was sure to do.

The sunlight hit Sawyer in the face as it slanted through the window and he groaned sleepily, turning away from it and pulling the covers up over his shoulders. He yawned widely and was on the verge of going back to sleep when memories from the day before started coming back and reminding him that there was something – or rather, somebody – to wake up for. His eyes opened widely and stared at his nightstand where, sure enough, there was a pillow covered in one of his shirts; and, if he wasn’t going crazy, Colfax should be somewhere in the middle of it all.

Sitting up in bed, he looked down at the little person, who was lying back and staring at the ceiling- or rather, Sawyer now, as he somewhat impeded the view. “Good morning!” the human greeted him cheerfully, a wide smile spreading on his face. He still couldn’t really believe that Colfax even _existed_ , much less that he was right there looking at him. “I hope you slept alright. You fell asleep during the movie last night and I had to improvise.”

Colfax shrank back as if Sawyer's cheerful attitude were a physical weight. So soon after waking up, it may as well have been. He sat up, with some effort, willing himself to wake up a little faster. Though he knew by now that Sawyer wasn't a human to _fear,_ exactly, he didn't want to slack on alertness around the enthusiastic student. Colfax was already bracing himself for the inevitable moment when he got scooped up with little warning.

"Slept fine," he muttered in reply, knowing that Sawyer would expect some kind of verbal answer. He raked his fingers through his hair to straighten it out. It dawned on the viri that Sawyer had to pick him up and move him the night before; he really was knocked out. That was concerning. He dragged his hands down his face, pausing to rub the sleep from his eyes. He didn't say anything else; as far as Colfax was concerned, he wasn't obligated to say more than two words until thirty minutes after waking, and he'd already met the quota.

Sawyer’s eyebrows nearly shot into his forehead. “Ooh, somebody’s not a morning person,” he observed. There may or may not have been a trace of glee in there. He couldn’t help but think that Colfax looked awfully cute rubbing his eyes so sleepily. The little guy was hardly awake, and uncharacteristically quiet. Sawyer was greatly enjoying it. Sliding out of bed, he said, “Come on,” and picked up Colfax, cupping him in two hands and beaming down at the little guy. “Let’s go get some coffee.” They couldn’t possibly start off a morning right without coffee.

He walked into the kitchen, which was even brighter with sunlight coming through the windows there and in the living room. Setting Colfax down on the table (a bit reluctantly, really) Sawyer busied himself with making a fresh pot of coffee. Soon enough the coffee maker was burbling happily, the smell of brewing coffee permeating through the entire room. He fetched a mug for himself from the cupboard, and after looking around realized that he had left Colfax’s bag back on the couch the night before. Walking into the other room he picked up the tiny satchel, rummaging through it for Colfax’s cup and finding it after a few moments. He returned to the kitchen and kept the cup to put coffee in, but set the bag itself down next to Colfax.

Even knowing it was coming didn't fully prepare Colfax for the feeling of being carried around. It always happened so quickly, and he wasn't sure he'd ever manage it without getting at least a little dizzy. Sawyer's chipper attitude only made him roll his eyes, unable to come up with some quip to counter his cheer. He remained seated even after Sawyer set him down. The brightness in the room made the viri shut his eyes tight for a few seconds, frowning faintly as the light assaulted his sleepy eyes.

The smell of coffee did entice him into looking around more, becoming familiar with his surroundings again. Colfax didn't get coffee very often. Almost never, really, considering how essential it seemed to be to most students. So, he didn't even complain to Sawyer about going through his bag to retrieve his cup. He still had some waking up to do, anyway, though he looked forward to having a little help doing so. He rolled his shoulders and stifled a yawn with the back of his hand, and then sluggishly pulled his bag back over his shoulder.

Gosh, Colfax really was slow to wake up. Sawyer hadn’t even heard a single sarcastic comment out of him yet. The human leaned against the counter next to the coffee maker and watched Colfax with a smile. The little guy pulled his bag on as if it were a nigh-automatic reaction, not even standing up to do so. It was interesting, and slightly amusing.

The coffee maker dinged and Sawyer turned back to it. Taking his own mug, he filled it nearly to the brim with hot, black coffee. Sawyer had been drinking his coffee black since early in his high school career, and couldn’t take it any other way anymore. The stronger and darker it was, the better. Charlie found it unappetizing, but Sawyer thought all that tea Charlie drank was pretty gross as well, so they just left each to their own and let it be. “Do you want sugar or milk or anything?” he asked Colfax, wondering how he would be able to manage such a thing in such a little cup.

Colfax glanced up at Sawyer, seeing the expectant (and amused) look on his face. He cleared his throat before offering any response. "Mnnh... no." Even then he didn't really have much of a reply for the human. Colfax was sure that his brain would catch up shortly. Then he'd be equipped to keep up with Sawyer's enthusiasm. Or, as equipped as one person could be.

The coffee he'd had access to was always from some abandoned cup from the local cafe. There was always an abundance of sugar or milk or some other fancy flavor enhancement in those. Colfax was looking forward to seeing how effective fresh, black coffee could be.

Well, that was easy at least, though Sawyer chuckled under his breath at such a short response. He was also wondering how often Colfax had drunk coffee black before- probably not all that often. This might be entertaining. Filling up the little cup carefully with hot coffee he set it on the table in front of Colfax, cautious not to spill any on his fingers and burn himself. “Be careful, it’s hot,” he warned the little guy. After a bit of thought he added, “And bitter,” for good measure, in case he was right about Colfax not having much experience with real coffee before. He leaned up against the counter again and picked up his own cup of liquid energy, sipping on it casually. Even with Colfax being so subdued and quiet the morning was much more exciting than usual. Sawyer was thoroughly enjoying it.

Colfax leaned forward to peer at the cup, which was still steaming pleasantly. He put his hands around it slowly, but didn't pick it up right away. He let it warm his hands before finally lifting the container closer to his face. At least, in such a relatively small portion, it didn't stay scalding hot for too long. He took a tentative sip.

The heat of the liquid running down his throat jolted him more than the flavor, but soon the bitter taste caught up. Colfax made a face, blinking quickly. The heat by itself was a hell of a wakeup call, but the coffee itself was pretty strong. It was... so much better than the sugar-loaded concoctions he'd tried before. He took another sip, and this time he was ready for the intensity. "Interesting," he muttered. He glanced up at Sawyer again, noting how casually the human drank his own coffee. "You drink this every morning?" he asked, sleep still evident in his voice but rapidly disappearing.

Sawyer grinned at Colfax’s first expression, but was actually quite impressed with how well the little guy took it. He must have a good taste for strong, bitter things already. The brief thought crossed his mind that the coffee might affect Colfax more, his body being much smaller and unused to the caffeine. That might be fun to see later. “Pretty much,” he said in regards to Colfax’s question. “Ain’t a morning without coffee. It gets me up and keeps me going through the day, ‘specially with classes.”

He glanced at the clock on the microwave and added thoughtfully, “Speaking of which, I’ve got a couple today. First one’s at one, so we got a bit of time.” It was about ten now. Sawyer turned to Colfax thoughtfully, a grin spreading across his face. “Do you wanna come with?” He was ready for Colfax to stay no- in fact, he was of the opinion that Colfax probably wouldn’t have even stayed the night had he not fallen asleep on the couch. The little guy most likely just wanted to go back to his own life. In case he didn’t, however… they could have an adventure.

Colfax took a few more sips of the coffee, willing himself to get more used to the strong bitter flavor. He kind of liked it, though it was definitely stronger than he'd ever encountered before, and it was quite bracing. He didn't look up again until Sawyer invited him along to his classes. Hearing that, the viri looked up with some surprise on his face. Just the day before, Colfax had been convinced that Sawyer would _make_ him tag along; but now, having the option gave him pause.

"Don't know," he answered, drinking more coffee to give himself extra time to think. It put a cozy kind of warmth in his stomach, though he definitely felt more awake than he had a few minutes ago. At this rate he'd be at full alertness in minutes, rather than the long, slow process he was used to. "Seems unsafe. Someone would see me in your pocket." And that didn't even take into consideration how bad Sawyer had been at hiding Colfax's presence when his friend had visited.

The short responses weren’t much, but they were still more than what Sawyer had been expecting. That alone gave him some encouragement. “Nah, I don’t think anybody would see you,” he cajoled, coming to sit at the kitchen table. He took a larger gulp of coffee, now that it had cooled somewhat. “You’re small enough, my jacket pockets practically look empty even with you in there.” This was true, as Sawyer had noticed the day before. As long as Colfax didn’t get too restless and start moving about super obviously, nobody would guess that he even had anything in his pockets.

“Besides,” he added, “it’s my anthropology class. You’d probably find it pretty interesting. Not to mention it might be your only chance to actually sit in a class properly.” Sawyer was clearly trying to persuade Colfax as much as he could. He didn’t want to force the little guy to come along, but he really wanted him to. It would make class so much more exciting. Besides, what else would Colfax do? Go back to his life of secrecy and foraging for scraps? Sawyer wasn’t letting him stay alone in the house while he went to classes, for a few reasons; not the least of which was he was certain Colfax would manage to get into trouble if left to his own devices.

Colfax gave Sawyer a flat, skeptical look, but didn't say anything right away. He kept thinking about how Sawyer had pointed out how hidden Colfax had been in his pocket. Colfax had felt like he was so obvious there, just a relatively thin wall of fabric between him and the eyes of any human looking at Sawyer. Maybe humans were less observant than he gave them credit for.

Colfax smirked over yet another swig of coffee. "You sure you can act natural?" he quipped, coming back to how forced the human had sounded. It was almost like he'd been holding a sign that proclaimed he had something to hide. Colfax couldn't imagine how that nervous, improvised acting would translate to a classroom full of humans. But, the class _did_ sound interesting. "I haven't stayed hidden all this time to have you go and give me away, after all."

“Oh, shut up,” Sawyer said, making a face at Colfax. Of course the little guy would bring that up. “It’ll be fine. Yesterday was just weird because I was caught by surprise, and it was Charlie. He’s my best friend and I felt bad lying to him.” He still did, even more now that he felt guilty over what he’d put Colfax through as well. Nothing he could do about either, however, except move forward.

“Class is different,” he added, “I don’t really talk to people in there much anyways.” None of his friends were in there with him, and while there were a couple of classmates he didn’t mind conversing with, it woulnd’t be unusual if he didn’t strike up a conversation. Besides, they weren’t supposed to talk during class anyways. Colfax might actually be helping Sawyer be a better student, if only by keeping him quiet and aware of his surroundings.

Colfax didn't look terribly convinced at first. But, he couldn't deny that the more he thought about it, the more interesting this opportunity seemed. Sawyer was right; he wouldn't really have another way to sit through a full lecture, even if this would be in a pocket. The subject, as well, the study of what people did and why, sounded like something he definitely needed a few lessons in.

Still, Colfax took his time to answer. He drank back more of his coffee, already starting to feel some of the energy it offered in his fingertips. He suspected he'd be fully awake soon. "I suppose it may be worth a try, since you won't be stuffing me in your backpack," he finally conceded. He glanced up at the human, raising an eyebrow as if daring Sawyer to try and put him in his backpack. "Perhaps one class wouldn't be terrible."

Sawyer grinned triumphantly, pleased that he had been able to convince Colfax to do something of his own accord. “Awesome,” he said. He’d already promised Colfax that he wouldn’t put him in his backpack, so that didn’t need to be said; he might joke about it later, however, especially if Colfax’s sarcasm made a return appearance.

The little guy was already giving him cynical looks. It would seem that he was finally waking up. Sawyer could feel the coffee kicking in with his own system as well, though he still wondered just how much the new caffeine was going to affect Colfax. Hopefully it wouldn’t be an issue during class. They still had about three hours to chill in the apartment, however, so Sawyer wasn’t all that worried about it. “I’m going to make some toast,” he announced, standing up. “You want some?”

Colfax tilted his head back, a small part of him still alarmed at how tall humans were. Especially Sawyer. He took a moment to feel quite fortunate that he'd convinced the guy not to keep him prisoner, because it was so glaringly obvious that Colfax wouldn't have been able to prevent it on his own. He nodded once. "Yes, I will have some," he replied. Toast was another thing he’d had before, but not very often fresh. Normally by the time he could get at an abandoned piece, it was long since cooled off. "Are you the type of person who prefers to burn toast to a crisp?" he asked, more curious than anything.

“Nah, I try to get it to a nice, golden brown,” Sawyer replied with a chuckle. He got out a bag of sliced bread and pulled out a couple of pieces before tossing the bag back into the pantry. Plugging in the toaster, he stuck the bread in and pushed the lever down, after making sure that the small dial was on the right setting. With that going, he picked up his coffee, now only about half full, from the table and leaned up against the counter again. He took a large swallow of the beverage and looked back at Colfax. “What do you usually have for breakfast?” he asked him, curious as to Colfax’s normal routine. He probably didn’t have a toaster his size, after all.

Colfax absently watched Sawyer operate the toaster, while he continued to sip his coffee. He paused when Sawyer's question came out, and then shrugged. "Whatever I have left over from the night before, I guess." Breakfast wasn't much of a regular thing for Colfax. A good part of the reason was his tendency to wake so slowly, but it was still mostly about availability. "Sometimes someone drops something. Their loss." He thought about a day when someone had thrown out over half of a breakfast sandwich and missed the trashcan. It was one of the best food items he'd ever salvaged, without a doubt. "No way I'm waking up early enough to get into the vending machine before they unlock all the doors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back to that morning, with Colfax and Sawyer once more! ^^ Colfax is decidedly not a morning person; naturally, Sawyer thinks that's great. Plus coffee. :D


	18. Chapter 18

Sawyer made a face at the thought of having to eat leftover food from the floor, especially the floor of a college building, but was at least polite enough not to say anything. Instead he busied himself with getting out a plate for the toast, as well as some butter from the fridge and a knife to spread it with. “Have you ever gotten stuck in one of those vending machines before?” Sawyer wondered aloud. He kept trying to imagine Colfax inside something like that; it was an amusing image, to be sure. Maybe he could convince the little guy to do it sometime and he could see it for real. It would have to be while very few students were around, though. Sawyer understood why Colfax never did it during school hours. He couldn’t think of anywhere the little guy could really hide in one of those things.

Sawyer's disgusted face didn't miss Colfax's notice, but the viri just smirked faintly. He took every precaution available to him to make sure the food he ate was decent enough, after all. He finished off his coffee in one last swig, and then got to his feet to stretch his legs a little.

He wasn't sure he should answer Sawyer's question. The human would undoubtedly give him the business if he admitted that yes, he had gotten stuck a couple times. But, he had also eventually managed to get himself out, so he supposed it was an accomplishment worthy enough of mentioning. "Sometimes I have trouble getting the door open," he admitted. Since it was spring-loaded, he always had to be very cautious not to get himself pinned in the door or he'd be stuck there for anyone to come along. "Once the machine malfunctioned and some of the coils turned while I was trying to climb and it tangled up my grappling line." That had been a ridiculous struggle.

The image of the coils turning and Colfax getting stuck like a snack in the vending machine made Sawyer laugh a little, though he covered his mouth with a hand and tried to contain most of it. “Sounds like an adventure,” he said, a smirk still plain on his face. “I’d imagine the people coming to fix it would’ve had a hard time figuring out how a string like that got in there.” Or if Colfax wouldn’t have hidden in time, how a thing like him could’ve gotten in there.

The toaster popped up and Sawyer turned that way, pulling the slices of bread out quickly and dropping them on the plate. Careful to only touch the edges of the hot toast, he spread butter on both pieces, before chucking the knife in the sink with the rest of the dishes and putting the butter back in the fridge. With one piece of toast already in his mouth he carried the plate back to the kitchen table and sat down. Tearing off a corner with his fingers he offered it to Colfax. “Hmm mm?” he mumbled incoherently around a mouthful of buttery toast.

Colfax flinched when the knife clattered into the sink, but he did his best to conceal the motion by the time Sawyer headed back towards him. He was about to reach for the offered toast, but paused to raise an eyebrow at the human. His look was more than a little bit amused and critical at the same time. "Was that English just now?" he asked before taking the chunk of warm, buttery bread. It was probably more than he'd manage to eat, but he wasn't about to complain about having extra food; and it smelled really good. Colfax took his first bite and raised his eyebrows appreciatively at the taste.

“Shumb mup,” Sawyer mumbled, before setting his piece of toast down on the plate and swallowing what was already in his mouth. Continuing a bit more clearly he said, “You understood me, didn’t you? Didn’t need to be English.” He grinned at Colfax and took another large bite of toast. All joking with the little guy aside, he was inwardly pleased that Colfax seemed to be enjoying the food he was given. It had to be pretty good in comparison to what he usually had; the sheer fact that it was hot was probably novel. Sawyer simply couldn’t imagine always eating lukewarm or cold food. What a way to live.

Glancing over at Colfax, he noticed that the little guy had finished his coffee; impressive, considering how large his little cup was in comparison. “Guess you liked the coffee, huh?” he commented, looking pointedly at the empty container. That was a lot of coffee for such a tiny person. He seemed to be handling it fine right now, but Sawyer was admittedly waiting for it to actually take affect.

Colfax glanced up from his toast, and then followed Sawyer's gaze to his empty cup. He wasn't sure what the look on the human's face meant, like he was expecting something to happen. "Yes," Colfax answered with a faint nod. "It was warm and not loaded with syrup." Those features by themselves were enough to make the bitter coffee much more appealing. Usually, things that were too artificially sweet made Colfax want to gag. There seemed to be an added benefit, as well, since Colfax felt much more awake than he had mere minutes ago.

He certainly felt like he could probably make a trip throughout the ventilation system back at the university building without even getting out of breath. As Colfax ate more of his toast, he noticed that he was still standing, but didn't sit down. He didn't feel like sitting, now that he was so alert. It would feel like wasting all his energy.

Sawyer finished off the second piece of toast as well as his coffee, and stood to put both dishes in the sink. God, he really did need to do dishes. Later, though, when he didn’t have a six-inch-tall man standing on his table that may or may not be about to experience a caffeine rush for the first time. Leaning against the counter he looked back at Colfax, waiting for the little guy to finish his own toast. He couldn’t help but notice that Colfax wasn’t sitting down, and seemed to be shifting his weight from foot to foot more often than usual. A slow grin spread across Sawyer’s face; so he had been right, then, the coffee was starting to really affect the little guy. This was going to be fun. “You feeling alright?” he prompted, looking at Colfax expectantly.

Colfax looked over at the human, frowning slightly. There was that perplexing look again. What was Sawyer waiting for? Colfax was already well enough awake, so it wasn't as though the coffee should have much more effect, right? "I'm fine," he answered hesitantly. There sure seemed to be some traces of mischief in Sawyer's eyes, but maybe Colfax was just being paranoid. Even so, he inched backwards a little under the human's amused scrutiny. _He's probably just planning to poke me again,_ he thought indignantly.

He finished off the toast, feeling quite well fed. Colfax absently brushed his hands together to remove any stray crumbs, but paused when they seemed to be shaking a little. He was normally very steady, so this really stood out to him. It was a strange feeling. He crossed his arms to hide the tremors before glancing back up at Sawyer. "Are you waiting for something? It certainly looks that way," he asked bluntly.

Sawyer just grinned, recognizing the signs immediately. Colfax obviously had no idea what was happening. “Your hands are shaking, aren’t they?” he said smoothly, a Cheshire cat smile on his face. The little guy crossing his arms hadn’t been able to hide his reaction to the occurrence. Not to mention his defensive questions. “And your heart is beating a little too fast, and you feel like you can’t stand still.” These weren’t questions anymore, but statements. Sawyer had been drinking coffee regularly for years now, so it no longer affected him in the same way, but he remembered the first time he had it black. Even better, he remembered the first time he had cajoled Charlie into trying it. That had been hilarious. Charlie was normally so calm and shy, to see him buzzing with energy was the funniest thing. Sawyer was eager to see what would happen with a little person like Colfax on the other end of that; he’d certainly had more than a cup of coffee, comparatively speaking.

The first instinct was to protest, of course. Colfax almost did, but stopped himself. He also stopped himself from asking Sawyer how he knew exactly what Colfax was feeling at the moment, right down to the sudden restlessness. Obviously, the human had set this up, giving him the coffee without warning him of its effects. Colfax tapped his foot agitatedly, keeping his arms crossed so Sawyer wouldn't see his hands shaking and get the satisfaction of knowing he was totally right.

"I'm perfectly fine," he snapped. "This isn't so bad." The elevated heart rate made him feel like he was priming to bolt across the table. _Maybe I should._ The absurd thought surprised him a little. "Sorry to disappoint. I think your prank failed, Sawyer," he added quickly with a shrug that was a little less restrained than he usually went for.

“Prank?” Sawyer repeated, raising an eyebrow. The sight of Colfax trying to remain so collected and snarky while obviously feeling shaky and bothered was amusing, and he barely restrained from laughing aloud. The little guy was obviously about to burst with energy, as his tapping foot and rather more sudden motions gave away. “It wasn’t a prank,” he told Colfax calmly, himself under no sort of ill side effects. “I asked if you wanted coffee, and you said yes. How was I to know you hadn’t drunk that much of it before? It’s your fault for drinking the whole thing.” He grinned at Colfax, readying himself for the wound-up sass that was bound to result from such verbal prodding. The little guy looked about ready to explode, and Sawyer was intentionally messing with the time bomb.

Colfax gave the human a flat look for his trouble. But, frustratingly enough, Sawyer was right about everything he pointed out. Colfax wouldn't tell him so out loud, of course. He was too stubborn for that normally, but especially now. He inclined his head, ready to argue with whatever Sawyer threw his way.

"Maybe you didn't notice. I can't operate a coffee maker, so _why_ would I have had much of it before?" he shot back. "I got two warnings about the stuff: that it's hot, and that it's bitter." He held up a hand to count to two as he listed the items, but drew it back when he still couldn't keep it steady. He waved his other hand dismissively at Sawyer. "And there you were sitting there and waiting for me to react. So this," he gestured vaguely at himself, as if to point out how wired he was, "this isn't _my_ fault." He pointed accusingly at Sawyer. "It's yours."

Oh gosh, this was just as fun as Sawyer had been expecting. Colfax, who usually attempted to remain so composed and uncaring, was unquestionably flustered. The human came and sat down at the kitchen table with a wide grin on his face. “Okay,” Sawyer admitted, “so maybe it’s a little bit my fault. I didn’t think about it when I started making coffee, though, promise.” He could barely get the words out smoothly, he was trying so hard not to laugh. Snickering, Sawyer reached out and poked Colfax in the chest, eager to see the little guy’s reaction to that under such circumstances as these. His sass had already become hilariously defensive, Sawyer was just waiting to see what Colfax could come up with next. “I definitely didn’t think you’d be this hot and bothered about it,” he teased. “You’re practically vibrating.”

Colfax bristled slightly as Sawyer kept laughing at him, unusually irked by it. When Sawyer poked him, Colfax stepped back in surprise. He swatted at the already-retreating hand, hitting nothing but air. At least he probably got the point across; it wasn't as though he'd have moved Sawyer's hand even a quarter of an inch. "I am _not_ shaking that much," he protested indignantly. Why was he getting baited so easily? He couldn't decide if waking up slowly like he usually did would have been better. Sawyer most likely would still be pestering him about it.

"Why do you feel the need to poke me so much, it can't be _that_ funny," he added, taking a few shuffling steps backwards. It didn't put him out of reach by far, but he at least had a bit more room to get out of the way should Sawyer try to mess with him again.

“Dunno, it’s pretty damn funny to me,” Sawyer said with a grin, reaching out and poking at him again. This was even funnier because Colfax was so overly irritated already. Sawyer could probably do or say anything teasing and Colfax would rise to the bait. It was fantastic. “You’re just tiny and poke-able, I can’t help it.” Colfax really was, the little guy was surprisingly soft and squishy- like a plush toy with extra sarcasm. Though Sawyer truly had meant his apology the day before, and had promised Colfax he wouldn’t keep him there against his will, that didn’t mean that Sawyer wasn’t going to take opportunities when they occurred. At the moment Colfax was hyped up on coffee and more susceptible to teasing; Sawyer would call that an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

Colfax pushed at Sawyer's hand despite knowing it was a wasted effort. "'Poke-able'? Just because you say it doesn't make it so," he groused. He took a few more steps back, swatting at the pestering hand once more. "And I'm not _tiny,_ you're just gigantic." Colfax felt his scowl deepening, though he knew that even that would probably just amuse Sawyer. He wished he could stop spilling out the first retorts that came to mind. The coffee was making it hard to craft better responses. He paused to look around him, wondering if there was any part of the table he could walk to where Sawyer wouldn't be able to reach him. The table wasn't quite wide enough. "How does anyone even get used to this?" he asked exasperatedly, watching his hand shudder no matter how much he tried to steady it.

At that, and at Colfax’s expressions, Sawyer couldn’t help but laugh. “With practice,” he replied. “Takes a while though to build up a tolerance, and then it doesn’t work as well.” He shrugged, still grinning. “Give and take I guess.” He leaned over the table, stretching out his arms on either side of Colfax. “But you _are_ poke-able,” he defended, poking Colfax a couple more times as if to prove it. “And tiny. I mean dude, you’re not even as tall as my hand.” He displayed one of his hands palm towards Colfax as an example. The little guy was shorter than every one of his fingers, save maybe his pinky. Not to mention he’d been able to trap Colfax inside of both his hands without trouble before. “I’m not gigantic, I’m _normal_. There are tons of other people my size. You’re just special… and _really tiny_.”

Colfax glanced back and forth quickly when Sawyer effectively corralled him between his arms. He might have glared up at the human, but he was distracted when he got poked _again_ and had to take a swing at the intruding digits. He bit back his response as he stared at Sawyer's displayed hand. It did make him feel pretty tiny, reminding him of just how easy it would be for any human to overpower him. Colfax knew he was actually rather tall for a viri, and the fact was on the tip of his tongue.

"I'm-!" He stopped himself with a frustrated huff to avoid revealing the existence of others. He jabbed his elbow into Sawyer's palm before stepping away from the hand so it didn't loom over him so much. "I'm not _that_ tiny!" he recovered. "That doesn't really mean anything anyway."

Sawyer barely felt Colfax’s jab to his palm, but he closed his hand and rested it on the table again regardless. “I think somebody’s in denial,” he teased gently, a couple of fingers reaching up to tug on Colfax’s shirt. He smiled at the little guy, tilting his head to the side. “Apparently it means quite a lot. You can’t go out in public, you don’t know of anybody else your size…” It started to sound a little sad and Sawyer paused. He was fine with teasing Colfax, but he didn’t want to actually make him feel bad. Poking him again as a way of changing the subject Sawyer said, “Anyways, it’s a fact. You’re tiny and poke-able. End of story.”

Colfax brushed his shirt to straighten it out again, though that action felt more and more like it was pretty pointless, hanging around Sawyer. He moved away from Sawyer's hand, though he only ended up putting himself closer to the other one. He sighed, realizing that it was futile to try and argue with the human about being tiny and _“poke-able”_. Even thinking it, the word sounded so dumb. So, stubbornness and his riled up irritation demanded that Colfax zero in on something else to argue about.

"Going out in public is overrated," he retorted. "What do I need with that when I can get everything I need without having to deal with anyone, let alone someone who gets a kick out of bothering me. If people are just going to cater to your stupid labels – _poke-able,_ are you really serious? – then count me out." He'd thought that maybe the flustering effects of the coffee were wearing off; but they were lingering, stubborn as he was. "I don't need to be any bigger to get by."

Sawyer laughed a bit, his shoulders shaking slightly, before gaining some self-control once again. “Okay,” he chuckled. “If you say so, short stuff.” It wasn’t worth arguing with Colfax over it; even hyped up on caffeine he was stubborn. Sawyer still felt like he won in the end anyways. Sitting up straight again he pulled his arms back, taking Colfax with him as he did so. He glanced over at the clock, which said it was almost eleven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Colfax on a coffee buzz is admittedly one of my favorite things. XD Sawyer is quickly becoming in expert in different ways to mess with Colfax. This was definitely one of the more amusing attempts.


	19. Chapter 19

“I should take a shower,” Sawyer announced, mostly to himself. Looking down at Colfax he frowned. “Do you, uh, want to do the same?” He wasn’t sure how they would manage such a thing- obviously the bathtub was _way_ too big for Colfax, not to mention he had no idea of the little guy had a change of clothes or not. Sawyer certainly didn’t have anything that could work for him. Still, he figured he would offer.

Getting swept up in Sawyer's movements caught Colfax by surprise enough that he squirmed a bit before giving up. "No," he answered with a frown. "I'm pretty sure you don't have a faucet that'd be safe enough to work as an actual _shower,_ " he clarified, confident in his words. He, like most viri, tended to avoid messing with sinks too much on principle. In some ways, the thought of getting caught in a drain was more terrifying than the thought of getting caught by a human. The torrent of water that always came out of a faucet made that risk all too real. "The pressure would knock me out," he added, as if it were glaringly obvious. "Usually I just fill a container with enough water to get clean."

Sawyer rolled his eyes at Colfax’s dramatics. “Oh, don’t be such a baby,” he said. Scooping Colfax into his hands properly he stood up, making his way into the bathroom. The sink in there was much smaller than the one in the kitchen, and more importantly, free of dishes. “I’m pretty sure the water pressure wouldn’t kill you,” Sawyer said, setting Colfax down on the shallow ledge next to the faucet itself. He reached over the little guy’s head and pulled the lever that closed the drain. “But, just to make you comfortable, we’ll make it into a bath.” He turned on the hot water, which started steaming after a few moments. Letting the sink fill up, Sawyer opened the drawers underneath it, pulling out a clean washcloth to serve as a towel. “Uh, do you have a change of clothes, or…?” Sawyer asked, thinking he probably should have asked that before starting to fill up the sink.

Colfax almost grumbled that he'd never claimed the water pressure would _kill_ him, only knock him out. But he was soon too preoccupied with the water crashing into the sink. He gripped the strap of his bag absently as the water level rose, feeling a little doubtful. With the faucet so near, he could feel the water surging through the pipes.

He looked up when Sawyer asked him a direct question. Colfax eyed the washcloth in the human's hand, unable to resist the thought that it was enough material to be a bed. Then, he gingerly lifted his bag over his head and knelt to sift through it. As he suspected, he hadn't brought his only other clothes along; why would he? The other set was probably still sitting crumpled on the mitten he usually slept in back at the university building. "Not with me," he answered, suddenly sheepish.

Sawyer sighed and turned off the water, both so that he could hear Colfax and actually think. The water was steaming, the sink full to about an inch below the edge. Compared to the little guy it looked like a pool. “Well, shoot,” Sawyer muttered. He tried to think of something that could work, or at least substitute, but he didn’t have a single idea. Unless Colfax wanted to get his clothes wet, or get into the same clothes after the bath, they were stuck and he said so. “I mean,” he continued, after voicing his thoughts aloud, “we could always use the hairdryer afterwards I guess… but if you don’t want to bother with any of this you don’t have to.” He shrugged; cleanliness was good and all, but he didn’t particularly care if Colfax was dirty or not. Honestly, Sawyer wasn’t sure he’d even be able to tell.

Colfax tried to imagine using a hairdryer. He was pretty sure the sound alone would be enough of a deterrent. Combine that with the hot air, and it sounded just _awful,_ so he didn't entertain that idea for very long. Besides, it wasn't as though it was a particular crime to wear the same clothes two days in a row. Considering the lifestyle and resources of a viri, it was fairly common. "I can use the same clothes," he answered, waving a hand dismissively. The less fuss there was over the whole thing, the better.

He turned his attention to the water. It was a _lot_ more than he'd ever used to bathe; he almost wondered if he'd be able to reach the bottom. He leaned over to test the temperature of the water with one hand, drawing it back in surprise at how warm it actually was. He shook the water off his hand and announced, "I suppose it will do."

“Alright then,” Sawyer said, stretching his arms over his head. Glancing at the sink he saw that the washcloth was draped over the edge, and there was a bar of soap on the other side of the faucet from Colfax. The little guy should be set. “In that case I’ll leave you to it and take a shower myself. You’ll probably have like fifteen minutes ‘til I’m done.” That should be enough- he couldn’t imagine Colfax taking longer than that. The water would get cold anyways.

Sawyer wandered over to the other part of the bathroom and grabbed his towel from a hook on the wall, draping it over the curtain bar dividing the shower from the rest of the room. Stepping into the tub he drew the curtain across, effectively disappearing from sight. A moment later his boxer shorts were flung up next to the towel and there was the sound of the shower being turned on.

Colfax paused, a little thrown by the notion of getting into a sink for any reason. But, it wasn't every day he faced the opportunity to have an actual warm bath. So, emboldened by the caffeine in his system, the pushed his bag as far away from the edge as he could, leaving his clothes crumpled next to it. Equipped with a sliver of the soap, he got into the water. If the coffee hadn't woken him up so effectively already, the warm water would have done the trick.

Colfax washed himself quickly, though, because he did have a hard time keeping his feet in the pool of water. He ducked under to get his head clean, and clambered out again within minutes. The washcloth was kind of heavy, but didn't hinder his efforts to get dry too much. He dressed again, his movements efficient and quick (aside from the occasional tremor in his hand). He edged over to the lever that had stopped the drain, curious to see if he could move it on his own. It budged a little, and Colfax flinched at the sound of the pipe opening up, all that water getting sucked downward.

A few minutes later the sound of the shower stopped. There was a bit of rustling from behind the curtain as Sawyer dried off, before the curtain pulled back and he stepped out with the towel wrapped around his waist. “Be back in a sec,” he told Colfax, noticing that the little guy had already managed to drain the water on his own. Sawyer walked out of the bathroom and disappeared into the bedroom, reappearing in a couple of minutes with a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans thrown on.

The human shook the wetness out of his hair, toweling it briefly before returning his towel to the hook on the wall. Standing in front of the sink he glanced in the mirror, running his hands through his hair to give it some kind of order before smiling down at Colfax. “You got a toothbrush somewhere in that bag?” Sawyer asked, more curious than anything else. He himself was already pulling out the drawer below the sink, taking out his toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.

Colfax scoffed at the notion, trying to imagine a brush with bristles small enough to actually work for a viri. "No," he answered, a smirk in is voice. Even so, he got into his bag for the materials he used to make a facsimile. The handle was little more than a broken piece of plastic, smoothed to be easier to hold. He tore off part of a cotton ball he'd salvaged just the morning prior, which was a little squished after he'd been grabbed up so much. It would still work just fine.

In just a few seconds the cotton was wrapped tightly around one end of the plastic, creating something that would be quite effective. Cotton was useful for all kinds of things, so he always tried to have plenty available. The dental hygiene alone made it worth the space in his bag. He straightened again, glancing up at Sawyer as if remembering he was still there. "I suppose you've got some comment ready about it," he remarked with a raised eyebrow, ready for more of Sawyer's laughter. It was a little bit intriguing that some things, mundane to Colfax, were so entertaining to the human.

Sawyer glanced up from putting toothpaste on his own toothbrush, watching with wide eyes as Colfax _made_ his own version. “No, that’s,” he started, sounding impressed, “that’s actually really cool.” It was insane how Colfax could just create things, put a couple of scraps together and suddenly have something functional. He acted like it was totally normal, too; given his lifestyle, it probably was.

Reaching carefully over Colfax, Sawyer turned the sink back on for a bit, just long enough to get his toothbrush wet. He stuck the toothbrush in his mouth and went to screw the lid back on the tube of toothpaste, before pausing for a moment. After a bit of thought he offered the open toothpaste to Colfax, holding it out in his general direction. “D’you need some toofpaste?” he asked, mumbling around the toothbrush in his mouth.

Colfax inched around the edge of the sink towards the offered toothpaste tube. He took a swab of the stuff and nodded once in thanks before stepping back from Sawyer's hand. He definitely wasn't used to having everything laid out so easily for him. It was a really stark contrast after spending his whole life subsisting on found items. The only reason he ever had any toothpaste at the university building was because there was a professor there that kept some in his office up at the top floor. Colfax didn't go up there very often; normal students were non-observant, but the professors and grad students that worked on the upper floors... their eyes were dangerously keen.

He moved back closer to the faucet as he brushed, some heavy thoughts keeping him occupied. Having things a little easier had its appeal. It meant he didn't have to worry about whether he'd be hungry for a day until his next chance at food. But, though he wasn't the absolute worst, Sawyer was still a human. Humans and viri weren't supposed to coexist; that was just a fact. Colfax sat down heavily next to the faucet, ready to rinse his toothbrush off whenever the water was switched on again. His other hand absently fished his cup from his bag and he held it at his side, drumming his restless fingers on it.

Colfax was obviously thinking through something as he brushed his teeth, and Sawyer left him to it. He actually brushed his own teeth for a bit longer than usual due to wondering what the little guy was thinking about, before snapping back to reality when Colfax sat down. Reaching past Colfax, he turned on the water again, keeping it at a gentle stream so that the little guy could fill up his cup without losing it. Sawyer spit out his toothpaste on the far side of the sink from Colfax and stuck his toothbrush under the water, keeping it lower than Colfax’s dangling feet.

“What’re you thinking about?” he asked after a few moments, unable to curb his curiosity. Though, he wouldn’t be surprised if Colfax came up with some bullshit answer instead; after all, who knows where the little guy’s head was at. Sawyer tapped his toothbrush lightly on the rim of the sink, careful not to spatter Colfax with any water, and put everything away in the drawer again. He grabbed a hand towel from a hook next to the sink and wiped his face absently, still looking at Colfax as he waited for a response.

Once the water was on, Colfax rinsed off his brush, letting the used cotton fall down the drain. It wasn't enough to get caught and cause problems, at least. Soon enough he'd rinsed his mouth out and put away his supplies, tucking them away in his bag before even beginning to consider answering Sawyer's question. He did think about staying silent, since he was so used to not talking anyway. That was another weird thing, having someone around that actually wanted to talk to him.

"Not much," he replied, getting to his feet again. Thankfully, some of the coffee jitters were settling into simple awareness rather than complete alertness overdrive. He was still full of energy, but he was slowly mastering the rest of the effects. He tilted his head. "I'm weighing the convenience of having access to actual food against the existence of stupid words like ‘poke-able’," he finally added with a shrug and a raised eyebrow.

Ah- so he was still trying to decide whether he should stick around or leave. He had stayed this long, at least, and seemed interested in going with Sawyer to class; the human figured he’d just take that and not push the little guy any more. After all, that was already more than Sawyer had expected after their admittedly rocky start. He did say, “Well, poke-able is going to exist as a word whether you like it or not.”

He grinned at Colfax and picked him up, along with his bag, before carrying both back into the kitchen. Sawyer deposited Colfax on the table before sitting down. Reaching out the human playfully ruffled Colfax’s wet hair with a fingertip. “I don’t just use words like that on you, you know. You’re not _that_ special.”

Colfax ducked slightly under Sawyer's contact, his shoulders bunching up. But, though he'd tried to avoid it, it was inevitable. Colfax sighed a frustrated sigh and reached up to pat his damp hair back down. "Oh, I'll try to contain my heartbreak," he grumbled. Once he'd combed the human-induced tangles out of his hair again, Colfax shook his head a little so it fell into place. He knelt to pick up his bag from where Sawyer put it down. "The disappointment is crushing," he added, just as sarcastic and dry as before.

It would appear Colfax was back to full sass, a fact that made Sawyer grin. Apparently the coffee had done the trick (it had done much more than that, but the more notable effects were unfortunately wearing off). Sawyer was glad- Colfax was fun all the time, of course, but when he was being sarcastic Sawyer at least felt that the little guy was having some fun of his own. Sawyer leaned back in his chair and glanced over at the clock. It was already quarter ‘til twelve. “So, we’ve got about an hour until we have to head to class,” he informed Colfax. He glanced down at the little guy and casually asked, “What do you want to do?”

Dark eyes drifted over to the clock, following Sawyer's gaze. Colfax blinked a few times when Sawyer deferred to him. The human had pretty much been running the show since they first encountered each other. "Well," he began uncertainly, glancing around. The only things he knew Sawyer liked to do were watch movies and “parkour”, neither of which would fit into the hour they had. "I'd challenge you to a footrace but I think it would be unfair," he quipped with a shrug.

A thought came to mind, of something he used to do when he still lived near Adrian. "I suppose an hour is enough time to win a few rounds of chess, if you have it," he challenged with a smirk. Of course, his friend had always had a better mind for it, but having learned from Adrian, Colfax was decently confident in his ability to command the board. Planning far ahead was one of his strengths.

Sawyer blinked a few times, taken a bit by surprise by the challenge. How on earth had somebody like Colfax learned to play chess? Shrugging it off as yet another one of the little guy’s odd quirks, Sawyer said, “Um, alright. I think I might have a chess set around here somewhere, hang on a sec.” Sawyer got up from the table and walked back to his bedroom, where he could be heard rummaging around in the closet for a few minutes.

After the sound of something falling and a few muffled swear words he returned, a small but nice-looking traveler’s set of chess in his hands. Charlie had given it to him for Christmas freshman year (after learning that Sawyer had never played before and thereafter teaching him how). Sawyer wasn’t nearly as good at it as his friend of course – in his mind, Charlie was practically a genius, so there was a bit of an unfair advantage – but he thought he could hold his own against somebody who had probably never played before. “Here we are,” he said, setting the small set on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everybody gets clean for the morning, and now they're playing a game of chess. (Of all things!) ^^ It looks like the two of them are starting to get along despite it all.


	20. Chapter 20

Colfax wiped the smirk off his face before he heard Sawyer's footsteps returning. He could only imagine how cluttered things must have been if he could hear them crashing down. It would probably be an interesting venture to take inventory of what Sawyer had stored away; probably many things a viri could make use of. "You survived. Sounded like it was touch-and-go there for a minute," he quipped as he stepped toward the chess set. It was not as oversized for him as he might have expected- and it looked like it hadn't been used much. "Looks like you're as out of practice as I am," he remarked, his faint smirk returning.

Sawyer made a face at Colfax in regards to the snide comments about his organization, but only replied to the little guy’s last statement. “Yeah, well, it’s not exactly a typical game for a college student,” Sawyer said, unfolding the board and starting to set up the pieces. “But I think I can safely say I’m less out of practice than you, considering.” Considering Colfax had never actually played with a real person, that is. Sawyer was actually quite confident that he was going to win this game, despite being out of practice himself. Not to mention he had the advantage of being able to see the board from above, instead of the pieces being practically hip-height as they were to Colfax.

Colfax had seen plenty of students playing chess before, but didn't argue about it. Most of them used an app on their phones, anything to avoid actually paying attention in lectures, so he supposed it only half counted. He stepped back to give Sawyer room to set up the pieces. At least they were made of plastic; he probably wouldn't struggle to move them around like he would a wooden or pewter set. "Considering what, exactly?" he asked as he shrugged off his bag and set it down on his side of the board. He had no need of it at this point. "I guess we'll see, won't we?" Colfax announced, gesturing at Sawyer to begin.

Sawyer rolled his eyes as he moved one of his pawns forward to start the game. “Considering you’ve probably never played a real game of chess in your life, because you’re _six inches tall_ ,” said Sawyer sardonically. Colfax seemed reluctant to face reality in that area. Living in the walls of a university building didn’t make him the exact same as a human student, by any means. Sawyer knew he had never met a human before, and Colfax had told him he was the only one he knew of like himself, so he couldn’t have played chess. That wasn’t Sawyer boasting, that was a fact in his mind. The little guy had to admit sometimes that he didn’t have every experience a human did. He couldn’t. “But I guess we will see,” Sawyer said, leaning back and looking at Colfax skeptically. “Who knows, maybe you’re a prodigy.”

Colfax had to step onto the board to move a pawn of his own, eyeing the one that Sawyer had moved. In truth, it _had_ been a little while since he played. Like most of the things he ever bothered to memorize, however, it was coming back to him at a decent rate. He would hold his own if nothing else. "Maybe not with pieces like these," he admitted, sidling back off the board to get out of the way. "But my being six inches tall didn't stop me from learning," he added. He thought that, given the opportunity, he could learn anything a human could, even excel at it. Given the opportunity.

Still, he realized he was coming close to revealing how he'd actually learned to play. "I learned from an app," he lied, keeping things conversational. "A few years back someone lost their... iPod. It wouldn't go on the internet but it already had some games on it." He would have liked the chance to send messages out to his family, but it wasn't so bad to have that around as a diversion. At least until the battery died.

Huh. Well, that made sense Sawyer supposed. It wasn’t as if Colfax was limited in intelligence, after all- just opportunities, and height. “So you learned chess from an iPod somebody left around,” Sawyer repeated, still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of Colfax managing to work an iPod- or even better, dragging it back somewhere safe to do so. “That works, I guess. Learn any other interesting games on your stolen device?” He moved another chess piece forward, thinking about how Colfax had to stand on the board to do the same. A fleeting image passed through his head of Colfax becoming a piece _in_ the game, and he had to hold back a smirk. He wondered how such a thing would go- it would be amusing. Colfax would also probably kill him.

He was already walking around the board to survey his options, but Colfax paused to raise an eyebrow at Sawyer. "It wasn't _stolen,_ " he insisted steadily. "I put it close to where I found it once the battery ran out." He stepped onto the board once more, having made his decision. Once he'd moved the chess piece to a new square, he straightened up. "But yes. There were some card games." They hadn't been as interesting to play. Viri didn't have the chance to play cards as often, since it was a little tougher to make their own versions without each card looking a little different. "These human games aren't _that_ hard to figure out."

It still sent a small thrill of excitement through Sawyer to realize that he was talking to somebody who _wasn’t human_ , even if it was just Colfax. It was surprisingly easy to forget sometimes, despite the non-human in question being able to fit in Sawyer’s hand. What with all his sarcasm, he rather came off as a normal college student. “Oh, I’m sure they were no match for your impressive intellect,” Sawyer retorted with a smirk. “Really, it’s a miracle such a big brain can fit in such a little body.” He scanned the board for a moment before moving one of his pieces; though really, the battle of witty retorts going on at the moment was much more entertaining to him than the chess match.

Colfax did notice how much easier it was for Sawyer to plan his moves. He had a view of the board as it was meant to be seen. But, Colfax wandered onto the board, confident that he would be able to keep up even if he took a little longer just to find out where everything was. "Of course you'd say that," he answered. He paused to look behind him at Sawyer's pieces, thinking of the possible moves the human could make after he moved his knight. "If size had anything to do with intelligence... well, let's just say there would be a _lot_ more genius-level humans wandering around." He smirked as he moved the plastic chess piece to its new location.

Sawyer rolled his eyes at that, but couldn’t argue. After all, he’d spent his fair share of time in Gen. Ed. college courses, possibly the same ones that Colfax had looked in on. It was obvious that there were some pretty dumb humans walking around- some pretty smart ones, too. Size had nothing to do with it, though again the difference between one human and another was something entirely separate from the difference between humans and Colfax. It was hardly comparable.

“So you say,” Sawyer retorted. “Who knows, though, maybe you’re just a special case.” He was special, alright, and certainly intelligent; he’d just managed to block Sawyer’s plan for his knight. Frowning, Sawyer decided to move to the other end of the board, moving his rook forward.

Colfax couldn't help but think of Adrian after Sawyer's remark. His timid friend had an even more active mind than Colfax did. Colfax was aware that viri were just as diverse as humans in all manner of things, though of course he had limited exposure to his own kind. It was too bad he couldn't explain that to Sawyer. It might make him seem like a little less of an oddity. "Oh, yes, I'm a special snowflake," he quipped. He paused to count the squares around Sawyer's rook, smirking when his hunch turned out to be correct.

He had to walk around his other pieces to get to it, but soon enough Colfax picked up one of his bishops and tucked it under his arm. It was a risky move, but one that he could see paying off. At the very least it was disruptive to Sawyer's strategy. He used a foot to push Sawyer's rook out of the way before setting down the bishop. "A special snowflake that just took your rook," he boasted.

Needless to say, Sawyer was not pleased with this development. “Yeah, well I’ll just take the special snowflake then,” he countered. Reaching over he pinched the back of Colfax’s shirt and picked him up by it, moving him off the board. He kept the little guy suspended a couple of inches off of the table, pretending to ignore him while he pondered his next move.

Colfax tried to squirm out of Sawyer's grip; but his shirt pulled up awkwardly under his arms, making it harder to move them. "Sawyer!" he warned, though clearly the human wouldn't listen. Colfax could see how much fun he was having, acting like he didn't hear. At least he was only holding him a few inches above the table; things would have been a lot more nerve-wracking if he were up any higher.

With his other hand Sawyer picked up his rook from where Colfax had all but kicked it off the board and set it upright on the table. After a few more moments he moved one of his pawns, hoping to bait Colfax into taking it so that he in turn could steal his bishop. Once that was done he set Colfax down on the other end of the board, giving the little guy a mischievous grin. “Your turn!” he said cheerfully, as if he hadn’t ever retaliated against Colfax in the first place.

"Clever trick," Colfax groused, straightening himself out once Sawyer put him down. "I can't believe I didn't think of that," he added dryly, walking around the board to see what piece Sawyer had moved. He thought about taking the pawn just to spite the human, but paused. He glanced over the board, and realized that if he took that pawn he'd leave his bishop wide open. So, instead, he moved a pawn of his own.

Colfax didn’t take the bait, which was somewhat disappointing, but Sawyer quickly moved past that. He stared at the board, wondering what Colfax’s point had been in moving his own pawn, if there had been any. Knowing the little guy, there was probably some kind of plan in the works. Still, if there was he couldn’t really see it. Eventually he moved a completely unrelated piece, after making sure he wasn’t putting it in danger of course.

“It’s weird to be playing this with somebody besides Charlie,” Sawyer mused, sitting back after making his move. “I don’t think I’ve even used this set with anybody else before.” Playing with Charlie was fun, but there was practically a guaranteed outcome; not to mention he couldn’t mess with his friend nearly as much as he could Colfax. It was almost a different game.

"Weird to play against a person instead of a computer," Colfax replied absently. Even playing against Adrian's methodical strategies sometimes felt like he was up against a machine. He walked among the pieces, trying to get a feel for what the board looked like from above. Finally, he nodded to himself and went over to his knight. He moved it so it was next to one of his pawns. If the knight was taken, he could take the offending piece with the pawn right away.

"On one hand the computer's strategies became a bit predictable. On the other, the computer never pulled dumb pranks, either," Colfax mused with a smirk. He stepped off the board, in an attempt to preempt Sawyer from moving him.

It didn’t escape Sawyer’s notice that Colfax was quick to get off the board, and it was with a small grin that he said, “Oh come on, you’re the only one I could ever pull off something like that with, I had to. I mean, Charlie’s small, but he isn’t _that_ small.” His friend was quite short, and skinny enough that he looked even tinier, but that was nothing compared to Colfax.

Though, Sawyer was still pretty confident that he could pick Charlie up by the back of his shirt should he want to. The guy didn’t weigh much, and Sawyer was pretty strong from all of his free climbing. It wouldn’t be hard. Sawyer returned his attention to the game, seeing that Colfax’s knight was in danger but still not free for him to take yet. Instead he continued working on the other end of the board, picking up his bishop and putting it forward.

Colfax rolled his eyes and shook his head in mock exasperation. Of course Sawyer would use the excuse of “because I can” to get away with his antics. At least he wasn't trapping Colfax in his hands anymore. The viri would have to come up with a way to get him back for it, though, especially if he kept it up. "Must make the game pretty simple, if you can literally remove the competition at any point," he challenged. He stepped onto the board again, eyeing the bishop that just moved. It could be troublesome later, but he didn't have away to take it just yet. He settled with moving his knight on that side of the board so it wouldn't be in danger, and to put it in place to counter any ambitious pawns.

“Unfortunately you keep coming back and moving things,” Sawyer replied with a small smile. He might be able to move Colfax, but that wouldn’t keep the little guy from playing the game. At least, if Sawyer put him back down that is. Sawyer surveyed the board, noting that Colfax was playing it safe. The little guy really was quite the strategist, despite probably having a harder time viewing the board as a whole. It was impressive, really. Sawyer kept up his slow advance towards the front by pushing forward a pawn. Not the biggest move, but eventually he would get his forces further across the board- and then they could really start playing the game.

Colfax raised an eyebrow as Sawyer moved a pawn. It wasn't a flashy move by any means, and it didn't put anything in immediate danger; but, by moving it out of the way, it left an opening for his knight to advance. The viri stepped back to view the board, making absolute sure he wouldn't be falling into a really dumb trap. "I don't give up very easily," he replied. "What was it you so creatively called me? ‘Stubborn McStubbornpants’?" He chuckled dryly as he moved his knight. Sawyer's remaining rook and one of his bishops were now both in danger. He paused to glance around the board from that square, confirming his possible next moves.

Sawyer stared aghast at the new situation. No matter what he did he couldn’t move both his pieces, and so one of them was going to be taken for sure. “Why yes, Mr. McStubbornpants,” he said, picking up Colfax and setting him on the other end of the board. He did this both to irk the little guy and to keep him from thinking up schemes even more detrimental to Sawyer’s game. “That is what I called you. But now that you’re acting more like an evil mastermind I’m thinking I should call you Magneto or something.” Too late once again Sawyer remembered that his reference was going to fly right over Colfax’s head. Oh well. After a bit of thought Sawyer moved his rook to safety, leaving his bishop in danger. He didn’t want to not have any rooks to work with.

Colfax frowned and sighed faintly. It looked like every time he remained on the board when Sawyer's turn came around, the human would go ahead and move him out of the way himself. That would get irritating pretty fast. But, he didn't even bother snapping at Sawyer to quit it, because he knew it would never work. It struck him that he'd gotten used to some of Sawyer's antics rather quickly; he didn't particularly like getting picked up so much, but he could tolerate it.

"'Magneto'? I feel like I've heard that one before," he answered, stalking back onto the board to observe the new setup. Getting moved around by a hand bigger than him distracted him quite a bit, and it kept him from getting ahead by too many moves. He took the bishop, knowing he'd probably lose his knight to the king. "Let me guess. Another of your action movie heroes?"

“Action movie villain, actually,” Sawyer corrected him. He frowned faintly before adding, “Well, kind of. I guess it depends on which movie you’re watching. Or which comic. Marvel tends to blur those lines a lot.” Honestly he didn’t often care whether Magneto was a villain or a hero. His favorite X-Man was Wolverine. Really, who would argue with that? Wolverine was the absolute best as far as Sawyer, and just about everybody else, was concerned. Though, Charlie did like Nightcrawler more; but that was Charlie.

Looking down at the board Sawyer hummed as he thought. Sure enough, Colfax had taken his bishop, but he’d put his knight in danger by doing so. Did Sawyer dare to push his king forward to take it? The answer was yes, so he did so, setting Colfax’s knight down on the other side of the board from his own stolen pieces. “You know, you’re not half bad at this,” Sawyer remarked off-handedly. This was a bit of an understatement- Colfax was definitely running the game at the moment.

Colfax nodded slowly, a little perplexed by Sawyer's explanation. He supposed he would find out what he meant eventually. He glanced back at the board when Sawyer took his knight. It had been a completely expected retaliation, of course. "Not half bad? I know," he answered absently as he walked among the pieces to figure out his next move. "Knight for a bishop? Not a terrible trade." He might have had more plans for the knight, but he would get over it.

Colfax walked back towards his end of the board. Since he had his knights and a bishop out of the way, he could move his own king. He pushed it aside two squares, and then moved his rook to the other side of it, a castling. There were some pawns in the way, but Colfax's rook was now lined up with Sawyer's king. "This makes me a villain?" he asked with a smirk.

True to form Sawyer huffed as Colfax’s rook lined up with his king, pouting dramatically. At first he’d been about to protest that Colfax couldn’t move two pieces at once, but then remembered Charlie using that strategy at some point. Apparently it was a legal move, which was frustrating. Colfax was turning out to be surprisingly good at this game. “Yes,” he said in reply to Colfax, “Yes it does. You’re thwarting the hero, which is me, so that makes you a villain.” Undeniable logic.

He briefly scrutinized the board. Deciding that his king wasn’t in immediate danger, he left it there for the moment, opting instead to move his other bishop. In another move or two he’d be able to take Colfax’s rook; that is, if the little guy didn’t catch onto his plan and switch it up. Which, Sawyer knew with some resignation, he probably would.

"You're the hero, huh?" Colfax asked, looking rather amused by the suggestion. He wondered how Sawyer would react if he pointed out that grabbing someone and carrying them off wasn't exactly heroic. But, then Sawyer would probably just continue with the hero-villain talk to excuse himself, so Colfax didn't bother.

He watched the board pensively. Sawyer had disrupted some of what he wanted to do by setting up to take that rook. "I just have a lot of practice planning ahead, that's all," Colfax remarked innocently. Indeed, planning and looking ahead helped give him an idea of what to expect out of everything he did. That knowledge was pretty necessary to a viri. "Nothing sinister about that, right?" he asked, stepping forward to move one of his pawns as a temporary shield for his rook until he could set up a better protection for it.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Sawyer said. “You could be planning something pretty sinister. How am I to know what’s going on in that tiny little head of yours?” He grinned at Colfax before moving his bishop forward once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A full game of chess is played, with a great deal of snark and banter of course. As if these two would play it any other way. XD

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of co-creation! Adrian, Colfax, Felicia, Elle, and Brigid were written by PL1. Charlie, Sawyer, Bryan, and Gwen were written by CreatorOfUniverses.
> 
> Just a reminder: you can still find all of the Trust stories, as well as the Reader's Guide, over on dA. There might be stories, and there will definitely be artwork, that won't make it over here to AO3. Be sure to check it out- and thanks for reading!


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